[Affirming the Commission’s Commitment to Fight the Climate Crisis]
Resolution affirming the Commission on the Environment’s commitment to continue advancing bold climate action in the wake of the new federal administration’s attempt to weaken and eliminate policies and programs that reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and urging the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor to adopt a similar resolution.
WHEREAS, The San Francisco Commission on the Environment seeks to improve, enhance, and preserve the environment and to promote San Francisco’s long term environmental sustainability as set forth in Section 4.118 of the City Charter; and,
WHEREAS, The City and County of San Francisco, in joining the State of California in the fight against climate change, has set ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets of 25 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2017, 40 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2025, and 80 percent by the year 2050 (Board of Supervisors Ordinance No. 81-08); and,
WHEREAS, In 2013, the City of San Francisco released a Climate Action Strategy identifying a set of actions that can be taken by citizens, businesses, and government to collectively achieve the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets; and,
WHEREAS, While climate change will impact all San Franciscans, the health impacts of climate change are expected to disproportionately affect communities least able to prepare for, cope with, and recover from them (San Francisco Department of Public Health’s 2017 San Francisco’s Climate and Health Adaptation Framework); and,
WHEREAS, In response to the election of Donald Trump, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors resolved (Resolution No. 484-16) that “climate change is not a hoax, or a plot by the Chinese; in this city, surrounded by water on three sides, science matters; we will continue our work on CleanPower, Zero Waste, and everything else we are doing to protect future generations”; and,
WHEREAS, There is a strong global consensus and scientific evidence that more than half of the observed temperature increase since the mid-20th century is due to human, or anthropogenic, activities (U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report); and,
WHEREAS, Mayors from cities across the globe, including San Francisco, have recognized the urgency and need to swiftly and boldly join together to tackle the climate crisis head-on; and,
WHEREAS, San Francisco, as a member of the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda, which represents more than 41 million Americans in 75 cities across red and blue states alike, has strongly objected to the Trump Administration’s actions to roll back critically important U.S. climate policies and has vowed to continue leading the way on protecting residents from the disastrous effects of climate change; and,
WHEREAS, The Trump Administration has signaled their intent to backtrack on international climate commitments, including the Paris Climate Agreement which the United States signed in 2016 along with 194 other parties, even though this is highly unpopular, detrimental to national interests and the U.S. economy, and will taint the reliability, credibility and competence of the U.S.; and,
WHEREAS, The Trump Administration is seeking to dismantle environmental protections by rolling back Clean Air and Clean Water policies and defunding critical Federal programs that protect public health and safety, stimulate the economy through the creation of green jobs in renewable energy industries such as wind and solar, and address environmental impacts in socially and economically vulnerable communities; now, therefore, be it,
RESOLVED, That the Commission on the Environment has reaffirmed the City’s 0-50-100-ROOTS climate action goals of sending zero waste to landfill, shifting 50% of all trips to public transit, ridesharing, biking or walking, achieving 100% renewable energy, and sequestering carbon through urban forestry and compost application; and, be it,
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Commission on the Environment acknowledges that neither the impacts of climate change nor the solutions will be contained solely within the San Francisco’s borders and encourages the Department to explore how the City can work with neighboring jurisdictions to become a “Carbon Positive City” that capitalizes on the carbon cycle to integrate agriculture and regenerative land management practices into the City’s climate strategy; and, be it,
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Commission on the Environment encourages the Department to work with other City departments to advance climate initiatives and municipal projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate adaptation to a changing climate before the systems our communities depend on to live – our air, water, food, shelter, transportation, infrastructure and safety – are threatened; and, be it,
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Commission on the Environment encourages the Mayor, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and the Department to continue to develop bold and forward-thinking public policies that expand upon San Francisco’s climate action and environmental leadership while continuing to work with global and national networks and partnerships to share best practices and collaborate on innovative strategies to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions before we are locked into a future of uncontrollable and accelerating climate change; and, be it,
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Commission on the Environment encourages the Department to collaborate with Cities across California and the U.S. that have relied on federal leadership to take action on climate and energy; and, be it,
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Commission on the Environment remains committed to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement regardless of actions taken by the Trump administration to withdraw from the agreement or denounce its merits; and, be it,
FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be submitted to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the Mayor.
I hereby certify that this Resolution was adopted at the Commission on the Environment’s Meeting on March 28, 2017.
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Anthony Valdez, Commission Affairs Manager
Vote: 4-0 Approved
Ayes: Commissioners Bermejo, Hoyos, Stephenson and Wald
Noes: None
Absent: Commissioner Wan