SR-02-26-2013-8AID
City of City Council Report
Santa Monica'
City Council Meeting: February 26, 2013
Agenda Item: 8 -A
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Dean Kubani, Office of Sustainability and the Environment
Subject: Santa Monica's 15x15 Climate Action Plan
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Adopt the 15x15 Climate Action Plan
2) Establish additional community greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets of
30% reduction of emissions below 1990 by the year 2030 and 80% reduction
below 1990 levels by 2050
3) Direct staff to analyze the feasibility and cost of reducing greenhouse gas
emissions in municipal operations
Executive Summary
In 2006 Council adopted a goal for reducing community greenhouse gas emissions 15
percent below 1990 levels by the year 2015. Given projected population and economic
growth, 29,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions would need to be eliminated
throughout the community in order to achieve the target reductions by the end of 2015.
The 15 x 15 Climate Action Plan includes 15 measures that if completed would allow
the City to meet this goal. Some of the measures have already begun as a result of
previous Council direction to staff.
Background
Council adopted the Sustainable City Plan (SCP) in 1994 to protect natural resources,
prevent harm to the natural environment, enhance human health, and improve the
social and economic well -being of the community for current and future generations. It
was updated in 2003 and revised again in 2006. The 2006 revision included targets for
the Greenhouse Gas Emissions indicator which had not previously been set. The
targets established were a 15 percent reduction below 1990 levels by 2015
communitywide and a 30 percent reduction below 1990 levels by 2015 for Municipal
Operations. In 2010, Council adopted the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE).
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Chapter 3 of the LUCE, Sustainability and Climate Change, specifically calls for the
preparation of a Climate Action Plan with periodic monitoring to evaluate progress
Santa Monica's 2007 greenhouse gas emissions inventory revealed that
communitywide emissions had been reduced to 7 percent below 1990 levels. Between
2007 and 2012, communitywide emissions decreased another 7 percent, resulting in a
total reduction of 14 percent below 1990 levels.
Since 1990, per capita emissions in Santa Monica have dropped from 10.64 MTCO2e
per resident to less than 8.8 metric tons, significantly lower than the state's 2009 per
capita average of 13.1.1 Although per capita emissions offer a valuable context for
Santa Monica's emissions relative to other municipalities, the community greenhouse
gas emissions target, community inventory and 15X15 Climate Action Plan reflect
absolute emissions reductions.
Projected population and economic growth factors identified in the LUCE suggest an
overall increase in greenhouse gas emissions by 2015. Because of this, a 3 percent
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions needs to be achieved by the end of 2015 to
meet the 15 percent reduction below 1990 levels. This 3 percent reduction represents
an additional 29,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide that will need to be reduced
throughout the community. In order to achieve these reductions by the end of 2015, the
15X15 Climate Action Plan was developed.
Discussion
15X15 Climate Action Plan
Programs and policies that reduce emissions have been included in the Sustainable
City Plan, the Urban Forest Master Plan and the Bicycle Action Plan. They are also
being integrated into the Water Self Sufficiency Plan and the Zero Waste Strategic Plan
which are currently in development. Santa Monica's 15x15 Climate Action Plan brings
i Source: California Air Resources Board California Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory: 2000 -2009
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together the climate - related efforts of these plans, amongst others, to prioritize actions
for implementation through the end of 2015.
The 15x15 Climate Action Plan is a short-term, action - oriented document that identifies
15 measures that, if completed by the end of 2015, would achieve the City's
greenhouse gas emission reduction goal. The 15 measures and associated actions are
grouped in the following eight categories: Energy Use and Generation, Waste
Reduction and Recycling, Transportation and Mobility, Water Conservation and
Efficiency, Open Space and Land Use, Local Food and Agriculture, Municipal
Operations, and Climate Mitigation and Adaptation.
The reductions associated with each measure and related actions were derived using
calculators and methodologies provided by the International Council for Local
Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and the Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative
(SEEC). Key criteria used in developing the measures and actions include the
magnitude of emissions reductions, the scale of economic and community benefits, and
the ability of the City to facilitate their implementation. These measures and associated
actions will serve as a checklist to be completed by the end of 2015 and, if
implemented, are anticipated to result in greenhouse gas emissions reductions
sufficient to meet the 2015 target.
The 15X15 Climate Action Plan was developed based on the results of Santa's
Monica's 2007 sector -based greenhouse gas emissions inventory.
The inventory includes emissions associated with:
• Electricity
• Natural gas
• Fuel oil (distillate and residual)
Propane
• Gasoline
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• Diesel
• Solid waste disposal
Emissions and emissions reductions not included in the inventory are:
• Santa Monica Airport aviation fuel
• Byproducts of industrial processes
• Emissions from goods and food manufactured and produced elsewhere
• Sequestration by the existing urban forest*
• Offsets*
*Although the impacts associated with urban forest sequestration and carbon offsets are
not included in the community inventory, they are identified in the 15X15 Climate Action
Plan as activities to undertake to achieve the 15 percent reduction target. The
reductions associated with some of the measures and actions in the 15X15 Climate
Action Plan will be directly represented in a traditional sector -based inventory while the
emissions reductions associated with other activities come from climate calculators and
software provided by ICLEI.
The 15 measures and the anticipated emission reductions identified in the 15X15
Climate Action Plan are identified below. The individual actions associated with each of
the 15 measures are detailed in the attached 15X15 Climate Action Plan.
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Future Targets
There is general scientific agreement that greenhouse gas emissions generated globally
must decline to 80 percent below 2000 levels by 2050 in order to avoid potentially
catastrophic climate change. The cities of Berkeley, Chicago, Seattle and Portland, as
well as the State of California, have established the target to reduce emissions 80
percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Currently, Santa Monica does not have greenhouse
gas emissions reduction targets beyond 2015. In order to maintain momentum and
continuity of effort, staff recommends that Council adopt new community greenhouse
gas emissions reduction targets of 30 percent reduction of emissions below 1990 by the
year 2030 and 80 percent reduction below 1990 levels by 2050. After the completion of
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Associated
%
Emission
Contribution
15 Measures
Reduction
to Achieve
(MTCO2e)
Target
Reduction
(1) Increase energy efficiency of new buildings to perform 10%
better than 2013 Title 24 Standards
(2) Reduce energy use citywide in existing buildings by 1 million
kWh annually
2,357
8.2%
(3) Increase total citywide solar capacity by 500 kW annually
723
2.5%
(4) Divert 80% of waste from landfills
6,319
21.9%
(5) Reduce daily vehicle miles traveled within the city by 13,000
4,782
16.6%
(6) Increase biking and walking mode share to 15%
3,720
12.9%
(7) Expand public and private infrastructure to support electric
vehicle technology
1,349
4.7%
(8) Create vibrant mixed use villages that enhance neighborhoods
2,658
9.2%
(9) Expand the age, diversity and number of trees in the urban
forest
240
.8%
(10)Reduce water demand by 200,000 gallons per day
2,531
8.8%
(11)Reduce consumption of carbon intensive foods
500
1.7%
(12)Increase the production and consumption of local food
_
_
(13)Monitor greenhouse gas emissions
_
(14)Adapt to the effects of climate change and global warming
(15)Reduce municipal greenhouse gas emissions
3,633
12.6%
Community TOTAL
28,812
100 %'
Community TARGET
28,812
Future Targets
There is general scientific agreement that greenhouse gas emissions generated globally
must decline to 80 percent below 2000 levels by 2050 in order to avoid potentially
catastrophic climate change. The cities of Berkeley, Chicago, Seattle and Portland, as
well as the State of California, have established the target to reduce emissions 80
percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Currently, Santa Monica does not have greenhouse
gas emissions reduction targets beyond 2015. In order to maintain momentum and
continuity of effort, staff recommends that Council adopt new community greenhouse
gas emissions reduction targets of 30 percent reduction of emissions below 1990 by the
year 2030 and 80 percent reduction below 1990 levels by 2050. After the completion of
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the 15X15 Climate Action Plan, a new greenhouse gas emissions inventory will be
performed and an updated Climate Action Plan will be developed in order to identify the
measures and actions necessary to achieve the 2030 and 2050 targets.
Municipal Operations
The Sustainable City Plan also established a target to reduce emissions from municipal
operations 30 percent below 1990 levels by 2015. The greenhouse gas emissions
inventory for municipal operations accounts for energy use in buildings and facilities,
which include streetlights, traffic signals and water delivery systems, and fuel use by the
City fleet and Big Blue Bus. Since 1990, emissions have increased by nearly 60
percent, mirroring the trend of increased services and square footage operated by the
City. The Big Blue Bus has increased the size of its fleet by over 30 vehicles and
significantly expanded its services since 1990, which has increased fuel use and
emissions. Also during this period the City has added a new Public Safety Facility,
expanded the Main Library, built the Annenberg Beach House and a new Big Blue Bus
campus, and expanded parks, street lighting and other infrastructure which has
significantly increased the overall energy used by the City. The City purchases green
power in order to offset emissions and to support growth in the renewable energy
market. Without the consistent investments that the City has made in green
infrastructure and sustainable practices such as LED streetlights, alternative fuel fleet
and Big Blue Bus vehicles, solar energy and green buildings, the increases in municipal
emissions would be even more significant.
The 15X15 Climate Action Plan was developed to achieve Santa Monica's community
greenhouse gas emissions reduction target. It includes a category that addresses
Municipal Operations, but it is not a municipal operations climate action plan. The
15X15 Climate Action Plan includes measures that reduce municipal emissions, but the
15X15 Climate Action Plan is not intended to achieve the municipal greenhouse gas
emissions reduction target. In order to achieve the City's target to reduce municipal
emissions 30 percent below 1990 levels, Santa Monica will need to reduce its emissions
M1
by more than 6,700 metric tons. The measures and actions included in the
communitywide 15X15 Climate Action Plan are expected to reduce municipal emissions
total about 3,600 metric tons. There are potentially significant costs associated with
reducing the City's municipal greenhouse gas emissions further. Therefore, the 15X15
Climate Action Plan focuses on reducing communitywide emissions that can be
achieved within existing budgets and work plans. At the direction of Council, staff can
analyze the feasibility and cost of further reducing greenhouse gas emissions in
municipal operations.
Monitoring and Evaluation
In order to achieve the projected emissions reductions associated with measures and
actions in the 15X15 Climate Action Plan, staff will monitor community greenhouse gas
emissions, evaluate progress, and identify new measures and re- examine associated
actions every three years to ensure significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
are being achieved in accordance with the targets established in this Plan.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
There are no immediate financial impacts or budget actions associated with the
adoption of the communitywide 15X15 Climate Action Plan.
The majority of the measures and associated actions reflected in the 15X15 Climate
Action Plan have been included in the Sustainable City Plan, Urban Forest Master Plan,
Bicycle Action Plan and the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE). They are also
being integrated into the Water Self Sufficiency Plan, Pedestrian Action Plan and the
Zero Waste Strategic Plan, which are currently in development. With the exception of
three actions, the measures and associated actions included in the Climate Action Plan
can be accomplished within the framework of the City's current Maintenance of Effort
(MOE) budget or the proposed budgets for FY 2013/14 and 2014/15.
N
The three actions that are not currently covered by MOE or proposed budgets are 1) the
implementation of a Pedestrian Action Plan, 2) the installation of 500 kW of solar
capacity on city facilities and 3) the installation of solar thermal systems at the Santa
Monica Swim Center and city fire stations. There is not enough information currently
available to project the costs for these three actions. When these projects related to the
15X15 Climate Action Plan are advanced, the financial impacts and budget actions will
be reported to Council.
Prepared by: Shannon Parry, Principal Environmental Analyst
Approved:
�� g W� r
Dean Kubani
Director, Office of Sustainability and the
Environment
Attachments:
Attachment 1: 15X15 Climate Action Plan
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Forwarded to Council:
Rod Gould
City Manager
Additional attachments
available for review in the
City Clerk's Office.