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San Diego County officials on Wednesday took a look at what a carbon-neutral future would look like – and it involves a lot of electricity.
County staff and researchers at UC San Diego and across the country have considered how the region can achieve a net-zero-carbon future by 2045. This is the time limit set by the state of California.
To get there, all sectors of the economy that produce greenhouse gases must be changed. This includes housing, business and transport.
RELATED: San Diego County is Considering Paving the Way for a Climate Neutral Future
“We need to achieve a carbon neutral economy,” said Nathan Fletcher, chairman of the San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors.
Fletcher said the fossil fuel industry had lied to the public about the effects of their products for years and now local leaders are facing tough decisions.
“We must also do this in a way that recognizes the vital contribution of workers. And recognize the crucial role they play, ”Fletcher said. “You can’t push an environmental agenda and at the same time crowd out a good middle-class job.”
And that’s just one issue on the road to decarbonization.
The regional plan provides for a massive increase in renewable energies in the district. Most of this would come from utility-scale solar and wind projects.
And the draft blueprint targets the transport sector.
UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy Associate Dean Gordon McCord says cars and trucks need to be electric and the existing San Diego Association of Governments plans are not responsible for a fast enough transition.
“SANDAG estimates show a reduction of 26% by 2030 – 33% by 2035 and 34% by 2050, so there will be a gap to fill,” said McCord.
McCord’s calculations assume that half of the vehicles in the region will need to be electric by 2030 and all of them by 2050.
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“I don’t think cars are the problem,” said Jim Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor who represents the fifth district.
Desmond is an outspoken critic of SANDAG’s efforts to get drivers out of their cars and into local transport.
“Individual vehicles are not the problem. It’s the emissions, ”said Desmond. “And I think we need to incentivize clean hydrogen, electric vehicles, whatever, tractors, trucks and all equipment.”
Desmond also reminded the panel that there is a housing shortage in the region and that the decarbonization plan should not preclude developments in rural areas.
Environmentalists argue that rural developments are adding carbon to the air by forcing people to drive more.
They also see the decarbonization plan as an ambitious strategy that shows that a carbon-free future is possible.
“We know that our individual local institutions are not doing enough to cut emissions fast enough to meet the scale and scale of the climate crisis,” said Noah Harris, a spokesman for the Climate Action Campaign. “Part of our optimism is therefore that we are really starting to see a great deal of regional cooperation when it comes to climate solutions, climate justice and climate strategies.”
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The blueprint draft does not ignore the county’s most vulnerable residents.
The San Diego Green New Deal coalition has been lobbying for a carbon-free future, but they want planners to remember underserved communities.
“Our communities have endured the worst of systematic racism, environmental injustice and economic exclusion and should be the focus of every conversation and decision,” said Bertha Rodriguez of the San Diego Green New Deal coalition.
That was warmly welcomed by Supervisor Nora Vargas, who has worked hard to ensure that environmental justice is part of the county’s planning processes, which she saw in the draft plan.
“She understands the necessity, the connection between the environment and climate justice, and our economic development potential. For me it is really crucial in the work we do, ”said Vargas.
The next milestone in the decarbonization plan is a review of the economic impact of changes needed to meet the climate goals. That will happen in March.
Regulators are likely to consider a final plan by the summer.
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