San Rafael, CA – The County of Marin is looking to continue progressing on its goals to reduce harmful greenhouse emissions. To build on momentum from the past 15 years, the County has created a Draft Climate Action Plan (CAP) Update 2020 that sets the bar even higher than original goals set by the State of California.
The County’s Draft Climate Action Plan Update 2020 includes a pathway to cut emissions from both existing and new development in the unincorporated areas of Marin.
The County’s Draft CAP Update 2020 includes a plan to cut emissions from both existing and new development in the unincorporated areas of Marin. It contains regulatory, incentive-based and voluntary strategies -- some that build on existing County programs and others that provide new opportunities to address climate change.
The County will unveil details of the update during an October 12 virtual public meeting; register for the event on the Marin County Sustainability Team’s Climate webpage, www.marincounty.org/climate. Residents can contact the Marin County Community Development Agency’s Sustainability Team at (415) 473-2698 to obtain a copy.
A 2018 inventory of emissions completed earlier this year showed the County reduced emissions to 23% below its 2005 greenhouse gas levels. As of 2018, emissions were approximately 380,300 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MTCO2e). The CAP Update 2020 proposes a new 2030 emissions reduction target that aligns with the statewide target, which means the County’s emissions will need to drop below 251,800 MTCO2e by 2030. Additionally, the CAP Update 2020 proposes a second target that couples the emissions reduction measures with local sequestration measures to achieve net emissions levels 60% below 2005 levels by 2030, or down to 197,500 MTCO2e.
The second target is in line with the Drawdown: Marin goal. Drawdown: Marin (www.drawdownmarin.org), launched by the Board of Supervisors in 2017, included a two-year planning process that engaged residents, businesses, and subject matter experts in a comprehensive, science-based, countywide campaign to identify actions that will dramatically reduce GHG emissions, address equity, and increase community resilience.
The County is seeking public input on the Draft CAP Update. Written comments may be submitted to Alice Zanmiller or by mail to Attn: Climate Action Plan Update, 3501 Civic Center Drive, Suite 308, San Rafael, CA 94903. Public comments on the Draft Plan will be accepted until October 31.
In addition to written comments, the County will go over details at a virtual public workshop at 6:30 p.m. Monday, October 12. It will be a time to learn more about the Draft CAP Update 2020, ask questions and provide input. Advanced registration is required for the online event.
To learn more about the County’s climate planning efforts and RSVP for the event, visit www.marincounty.org/climate.