San Francisco Climate Action Plan
Encyclopedia
The San Francisco Climate Action Plan is a greenhouse gas reduction initiative adopted by the City and County of San Francisco, USA in 2002. It aims to reduce the city's greenhouse gas
emissions to 20% below 1990 levels by 2012.
's annual per capita emissions of 14.2 tons eCO2 in 2000, and USA's annual per capita emissions of 20.4 CO2 in 2000. However, it is much higher than the emissions level for the world as a whole, which was 4.4 tons CO2 per person in 2003.
as Resolution Number 0158-02, the Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Resolution, on 2002-03-04. In doing so, San Francisco also joined over 500 cities to participate in the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives
.
Department of the Environment and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
with assistance from the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives in September 2004. In four chapters, the report describes the causes and local impacts of climate change, the city's greenhouse gas emissions reduction target, actions to reduce those emissions, and an implementation strategy for the near term.
The 2004 report proposes a wide variety of actions to achieve its stated emissions reductions, which fall into the following categories: transportation, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and solid waste. Within each category, each action is described including an estimate for the CO2 emissions reduction it would result in. The table below summarizes these.
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions to 20% below 1990 levels by 2012.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
San Francisco's annual greenhouse gas emissions were 9.7 million tons equivalent carbon dioxide (eCO2) in 2000., which was 12.5 tons eCO2 per person. This level of emissions is lower than both the state and country in which San Francisco is located: CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
's annual per capita emissions of 14.2 tons eCO2 in 2000, and USA's annual per capita emissions of 20.4 CO2 in 2000. However, it is much higher than the emissions level for the world as a whole, which was 4.4 tons CO2 per person in 2003.
History
The Climate Action Plan is one of many intitiatives adopted by state and local governments in the USA to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enacted primarily in response due to the absence of such action at the federal level. It was approved by the San Francisco Board of SupervisorsSan Francisco Board of Supervisors
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco, California, United States.-Government and politics:...
as Resolution Number 0158-02, the Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Resolution, on 2002-03-04. In doing so, San Francisco also joined over 500 cities to participate in the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives
ICLEI
ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, founded in 1990 as the 'International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives', is an international association of local governments and national and regional local government organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development...
.
Goals
San Francisco's annual greenhouse gas emissions were 9.1 million tons equivalent carbon dioxide (eCO2) in 1990 and 9.7 million tons eCO2 in 2000, and the Climate Action Plan's goal is to reduce emissions to 7.2 million tons eCO2 by 2012. This goals therefore represent reductions of greenhouse gas emissions of 20% from 1990 levels and 26% from 2000 levels. The sources of greenhouse gases include those generated due to fossil fuel and electricity consumption used for transportation, natural gas and electricity used in buildings, and well as those generated by solid waste.Reports
The plan's first report, Climate Action Plan for San Francisco, Local Actions to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions was published by the San FranciscoGovernment of San Francisco
As the only consolidated city-county in California, the government of the City and County of San Francisco is defined by the , which is similar to the other counties of California and defines several officers and entities....
Department of the Environment and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is a public agency of the City and County of San Francisco that provides water, wastewater, and power services to the City and an additional 1.6 million customers within three San Francisco Bay Area counties.The SFPUC manages a complex water supply...
with assistance from the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives in September 2004. In four chapters, the report describes the causes and local impacts of climate change, the city's greenhouse gas emissions reduction target, actions to reduce those emissions, and an implementation strategy for the near term.
The 2004 report proposes a wide variety of actions to achieve its stated emissions reductions, which fall into the following categories: transportation, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and solid waste. Within each category, each action is described including an estimate for the CO2 emissions reduction it would result in. The table below summarizes these.
| Category | Action | CO2 Reduction (tons) |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | Increase the Use of Public Transit as an Alternative to Driving | 87,000 |
| Transportation | Increase the Use of Ridesharing as an Alternative to Single-Occupancy Driving | 42,000 |
| Transportation | Increase Bicycling and Walking as an Alternative to Driving | 10,000 |
| Transportation | Support Trip Reduction through Employer-Based Programs | 28,000 |
| Transportation | Discourage Driving | 155,000 |
| Transportation | Increase the Use of Clean Air Vehicles and Improve Fleet Efficiency | 641,000 |
| 963,000 | ||
| Energy Efficiency | Increase Incentive, Direct Installation and Technical Assistance | 700,000 |
| Energy Efficiency | Expand Education and Outreach | 36,000 |
| Energy Efficiency | Strengthen Legislation, Codes, and Standards | 65,000 |
| 801,000 | ||
| Renewable Energy | Develop Renewable Energy Projects | 318,000 |
| Renewable Energy | Conduct Pilot Project for Emerging Technologies | - |
| Renewable Energy | Support and Develop Green Power Purchasing | 230,000 |
| 548,000 | ||
| Solid Waste | Increase Residential Recycling and Composting | 70,000 |
| Solid Waste | Increase Commercial Recycling and Composting | 109,000 |
| Solid Waste | Expand Construction and Demolition Debris Recycling | 57,000 |
| Solid Waste | Support Alternate Collection Methods for Recyclable Materials | 66,000 |
| Solid Waste | Promote Source Reduction, Reuse, and Other Waster Reduction | - |
| 302,000 | ||
| Total | 2,614,000 |
See also
- Individual and political action on climate changeIndividual and political action on climate changeIndividual and political action on climate change can take many forms, most of which have the ultimate goal of limiting and/or reducing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, toward avoiding dangerous climate change.-Political action:...
- Climate change mitigation
- List of countries by carbon dioxide emissions per capita
- San Francisco Mandatory Recycling and Composting OrdinanceSan Francisco Mandatory Recycling and Composting OrdinanceThe San Francisco Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance is a local municipal ordinance requiring all persons located in San Francisco to separate their recyclables, compostables and landfilled trash and to participate in recycling and composting programs...