Santa Monica is a small city with big plans. With the existential threat of climate change looming over the planet, the city of Santa Monica has adopted an ambitious set of goals to reduce carbon emissions and to better prepare itself for the now-unavoidable effects of climate change.
Given the federal government’s lackluster response to climate change, including President Trump’s 2017 decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, local governments have taken it upon themselves to make the necessary changes to reduce carbon emissions.
Santa Monica is following in the footsteps of other cities that have also taken the initiative to implement climate action plans, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Seattle. Smaller cities in California, including Carlsbad, Carson and Del Mar also have climate action plans.
In accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement, Santa Monica has committed to doing its part to limit global warming below 2 degrees Celsius and will “pursue action to limit warming to 1.5 degrees.”
The city has gone even further and set for itself the interim goal of 80% reduction of emissions below 1990 levels by 2030.
Over a three-year period, Santa Monica worked to develop a comprehensive plan to achieve these goals. With the support of a consulting team, a steering committee and robust public participation, Santa Monica put together its Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP), which the city voted to adopt in 2019.
CAAP's goals are two-fold: to reduce carbon emissions and to help Santa Monica become a climate-resilient city.
Former Santa Monica Mayor Gleam Davis, who was in office when the plan was adopted, explained, “In recent years, California has experienced historic drought, higher average temperatures, heat waves and devastating wildfires and mudslides. Climate change is no longer a threat in a distant future. It is here now. And it will get worse unless we act.”
Davis acknowledged that CAAP is a highly ambitious plan. “This transformation will disrupt the status quo and require community investment in the goal and a willingness to change behaviors,” she said. “This plan is a call to action for our government, business and residents.”
As its name suggests, CAAP is divided into two main sections: climate action and climate adaptation. Climate action encompasses all the steps that Santa Monica will take to reduce emissions, while climate adaptation is how the city plans to prepare for the regional “shocks and stresses” that come with climate change.
CAAP’s climate action goals are divided into three sectors: zero net carbon buildings, sustainable mobility and zero waste.
According to the CAAP report, “Santa Monica’s carbon emissions are generated primarily from fossil-fueled transportation and energy use in buildings.” In order to reach its goal of net zero carbon buildings, the city is looking to transition to 100% renewable grid electricity, install 100 megawatts of local solar energy, reduce fossil fuel use in 20% of existing buildings, and discourage the use of fossil fuels in new buildings.
To achieve sustainable mobility, Santa Monica will seek to encourage residents to convert half of all local trips to foot, bike, scooter or skateboards, and will convert 25% of commuter trips to transit.
“We need to encourage public transportation, such as buses and light rail, in order to give people an option to get around,” said Amanda Eaken, director of transportation and climate at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Additionally, the city will covert half of all vehicles to electric or zero-emission. For example, the local bus system — the Big Blue Bus — will transition to an emission-free fleet, with all buses running on electricity.
Santa Monica will also look to divert 95% of materials from landfills in order to achieve zero waste.
“The world is in a crisis with our climate, with greenhouse gas emissions, and in Santa Monica, we’re trying to plan to become one of the first carbon-neutral cities in the world,” said Dean Kubani, Santa Monica's former chief sustainability officer.
But more than just reducing carbon emissions, Santa Monica is also looking to become a climate-resilient city.
“We also recognize the need to adjust to our changing climate and prepare for more frequent and intense climate change impacts,” said Davis in her introductory letter to CAAP. “This plan also provides a pathway to enhance our community resilience and infrastructure to be climate-ready.”
According to a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), one of the factors that will determine the overall effects of climate change on individual regions is how the region adapts to mitigate these changes.
“Even if all emissions were eliminated today, we would still see climate change impacts in the future,” the plan reads. Santa Monica’s local climate change hazards include extreme heat, worsened air quality due to air pollution and regional wildfires, droughts, wildfires and coastal flooding.
In order to increase Santa Monica’s adaptability to climate to single-event shocks — such as fires or floods — and recurring stresses — such as chronic food and water shortages — CAAP proposes several goals divided into the following four sectors: creating a climate-ready community, water self-sufficiency, coastal flooding preparedness, and encouraging low-carbon food and ecosystems.
To foster a climate-ready community, the city will look to increase community resilience to climate change, protect vulnerable groups from impacts, including homeless individuals, low-income communities, and communities of color, and integrate climate change impacts into city planning, operations and infrastructure projects.
Santa Monica will also seek to become water self-sufficient by 2023, meaning that the city will no longer pump water in from Northern California. Instead, it will encourage water conservation and increase recycled water production by upgrading the existing Santa Monica Urban Runoff Recycling Facility and constructing a new Advanced Water Treatment Facility.
To prepare for potential coastal flooding, the city will enhance natural systems to prevent damage caused by coastal flooding and it will increase the resilience of both private and public properties in the coastal flooding zone. Examples of this are the dune restoration project and hardening the Santa Monica Pier.
Finally, in order to increase low-carbon food and ecosystems, the city will increase self-reliance through local food consumption — particularly through its farmers market — and it will reduce carbon emissions from food production and consumption.
Naturally, with such an ambitious plan comes a high price tag. The city estimates that CAAP will cost approximately $800 million over the next decade.
In an interview with The Planning Report, former Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole argued that although the high financial burden of the plan may seem off-putting, the long-term benefits will outweigh the initial costs.
Cole further explained that Santa Monica does not expect to eliminate global climate change all on its own. Instead, the city aims to be “a regional leader and a national model of effective local climate action.”
“We hope the actions we are taking to implement that plan will spur similar widespread emulation,” Cole added.
Shannon Parry, the sustainable programs administrator for the city, said, “Together we will continue to lead. We will continue to elevate. And we will continue to demonstrate that a sustainable Santa Monica is not only possible but that it is our tangible future.”
Photo credit: Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com
