The Board of Supervisors finds that:
(a) In 2016, the Paris Climate Agreement committed national governments to pursue efforts to limit temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius. In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a special report on the impacts of global warming and the need to significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions well before 2030 to reduce the most detrimental impacts to ecosystems and to human health.
(b) In 2018, the United States’ Fourth National Climate Assessment made clear that climate change will wreak havoc across the United States, and that the current pace and scale of national climate action are not sufficient to avert substantial damage to the environment, human health, and economy. According to the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Climate and Health Adaptation Framework (2017), the direct and indirect impacts of climate change will disproportionately affect San Francisco communities least able to prepare for, cope with, and recover from those impacts. Those communities include communities of color, low income communities, and other vulnerable populations.
(c) San Francisco, the Bay Area, and the State of California are already suffering the effects of climate change in the form of droughts, air pollution, extreme heat, frequent wildfires, flooding, and much more.
(d) At the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit, San Francisco committed to meet the Paris Agreement by achieving a net zero city by 2050. The City joined in a Climate Equity Pledge to ensure that the City’s 2020 Climate Action Strategy update achieves the dual goals of advancing racial equity and decreasing carbon emissions.
(e) San Francisco’s climate commitments and climate action strategy are framed by the City’s “0-80-100-Roots” framework, which defines climate and sustainability goals in four key areas: zero waste (“0% zero waste”), transportation (“80% low-carbon trips”), energy (“100% renewable energy”), and carbon sequestration (“Roots”).
(f) One of the City’s fundamental goals in implementing the 0-80-100-Roots Climate Action Framework is to promote equity by ensuring that implementation reflects and responds to the economic, political, and social needs of different San Francisco vulnerable communities.
(g) Achieving the “0-80-100-Roots” goals in the City will mean cleaner air, fewer vehicles on the road, more reliable transit systems, more bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly networks, highly efficient homes and businesses powered by 100% clean electricity, a robust urban tree canopy, plentiful green spaces, improved soil health, and a regenerative ecosystem.
(h) Meaningful climate solutions will require increasing supplies of high-quality housing affordable to households at all income levels and located near local and regional transit service. These solutions will also require well-coordinated land use and transportation planning and investments to support low-carbon trips using efficient travel modes such as transit, walking, and biking, in order to reduce vehicle miles traveled and associated emissions.
(i) The success of the City in achieving its climate goals thus far has been clear: in 2019, San Francisco achieved a 41% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels, surpassing the target reduction of 25% established by the Board of Supervisors. This success has been driven by the continued replacement of fossil fuel power generation with renewable sources, a cleaner electric grid, increased building energy efficiency, a transition to low-carbon transportation fuels, and a leading zero waste system.
(j) In 2019, the Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted Resolution No. 160-19, declaring a climate emergency in San Francisco and requesting immediate action to address the climate crisis, limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions.
(k) The Department of the Environment’s 2019 report titled “Focus 2030: A Pathway to Net Zero Emissions” shows that achieving accelerated emissions reductions by 2050 will require an ongoing commitment that builds upon and surpasses San Francisco’s past successes and increases resources accordingly to continue to reduce emissions all the way to net zero.
(Added by Ord. 81-08, File No. 071294, App. 5/13/2008; amended by Ord. 117-21, File No. 210563, App. 8/4/2021, Eff. 9/4/2021)