Santa Clara County’s long-awaited sustainability plan prioritizes economy, environment and equity

Santa Clara County is doubling down on addressing climate change as an emergency, somewhat than a far-off risk.

At its final assembly, the Board of Supervisors authorized the county’s grasp plan for sustainability, which has been about 5 years within the making. The plan commits to decreasing greenhouse gasoline emissions, electrifying extra buildings and planting 3,000 bushes throughout the subsequent three years to enhance air high quality and enhance native carbon sequestration.

“Local weather change, in contrast to the pandemic, unfolds in gradual movement,” mentioned Jasneet W. Sharma, director of the county’s Workplace of Sustainability. “Typically it feels that particular person actions don’t matter. So it’s all of the extra important for motion at each the coverage and the person scale.”

The plan builds on many adjustments the county has already made and weaves them into one, cohesive image. For instance, in 2018, the county dedicated to reaching web carbon neutrality by 2045. Carbon neutrality means carbon emissions are balanced with removing of carbon from the ambiance.

Sharma advised San José Highlight that the COVID-19 pandemic was kind of a “costume rehearsal” for the local weather challenges that lie forward. And certainly, adjustments which have occurred due to the pandemic have knowledgeable the county’s commitments.

There was a virtually 34% enhance in worker telecommuting within the South Bay since shelter-in-place orders have been issued in March. The county will now proceed to encourage telecommuting, in response to the plan. If maintained, the roughly one-third discount in autos is equal to eradicating 7,300 passenger autos from the highway annually.

Racial and socioeconomic fairness additionally play an enormous half within the county’s plans.

“Regardless of our explosive county progress, air and water high quality have continued to enhance,” Sharma advised supervisors. “However we nonetheless want actions to handle the challenges posed by local weather change and the disparities posed by city warmth, air and water air pollution, and even entry to leisure assets.”

Supervisors have been largely enthusiastic in regards to the plan, however thought it could possibly be even higher. Supervisor Otto Lee mentioned he’d prefer to see the county be “a little bit extra aggressive,” whereas Supervisor Susan Ellenberg mentioned she frightened sustainability and fairness may not be completely suitable.

“(Telecommuting) could be terrific environmentally and definitely advantages larger wage workers,” Ellenberg mentioned. “However with extra individuals telecommuting, the less help individuals we would want in our buildings, so that might result in job loss.”

One other instance, Ellenberg mentioned, can be new requirements for the county utilizing sustainable distributors. One purpose of the plan is to create incentives for county contractors to make use of sustainable supplies, and create a sustainable buying coverage countywide.

“We’ve an actual dedication to selecting small, native, minority-owned distributors,” Ellenberg mentioned. “(However) these may not be essentially the most sustainable product.”

Sharma mentioned among the targets are open to vary or adjustment. As for sustainable distributors, she mentioned the county ought to assist play a task in serving to small, native companies develop to fulfill the county’s sustainability targets.

The Sierra Membership, a nationwide grassroots environmental group, supported the plan supervisors authorized. In a Jan. 11 letter signed by Gladwyn d’Souza, Gita Dev and Kristel Wickham, leaders from the membership’s native Loma Prieta chapter, the three highlighted the urgency of the present local weather disaster.

“We reside in a local weather disaster that threatens the survival of organized human life on Earth,” the letter mentioned. “Nonetheless, sturdy local weather insurance policies from Bay Space jurisdictions are already influencing state stage coverage.”

Amid widespread county price range cuts, the Sierra Membership letter nonetheless requested for extra assets to go towards the county’s battle towards local weather change.

In keeping with the Intergovernmental Panel on Local weather Change, international warming is ready to succeed in 1.5 levels Celsius between 2030 and 2052 if emissions run unchecked. That enhance is more likely to trigger a sort of domino effect of local weather catastrophes together with excessive climate occasions and rising sea ranges, threatening billions of lives and inflicting trillions in injury.

“The county ought to strengthen its position as a local weather chief by offering elevated funding, personnel and autonomy to the Workplace of Sustainability,” the activists wrote. “The local weather disaster requires giant actions to be taken shortly; the county ought to dedicate enough assets to help needed local weather motion.”

The sustainability workplace will launch a dashboard in March so residents can observe the county’s progress on its sustainability targets.

Contact [email protected] or comply with @MadelynGReese on Twitter.