Sebastopol adopts climate action framework

photo credit: Courtesy the City of Sebastopol

There's a lot to navigating our changing climate. To do so Sebastopol recently adopted a Climate Action Framework by a unanimous vote.

It's a sort of a roadmap designed to guide the city towards climate resilience.

Kenna Lee spoke on behalf of Sebastopol’s Climate Action Committee.

"Climate resilience is the preparation and response to the effects of climate change." Lee said. "And the main effects that we see here in Sonoma County and in Sebastopol are fires, floods, drought, excessive heat, and that comes with issues of continuity of electricity."

Phoebe Goulden, a fellow with AmeriCorps CivicSpark program who helped draft the framework, said it's a way for the city to meet its climate goals.

"That's that carbon neutrality by 2030 by both reducing emissions and sequestering carbon from the atmosphere." Goulden said. "It's also preparing for the climate impacts that the city is already beginning to experience and ensuring that all community members and particularly those who are most vulnerable to climate impacts are included in these climate efforts."

Of the major action areas to reduce emissions identified in the framework, transportation loomed large.

With an estimated 45 percent of vehicle trips around the city involving only a single passenger, Goulden identified electric vehicle use as one area to reduce emissions. She said though, EV adoption in the city remains low.

"One of the goals in the transportation section is to support a rapid equitable transition to electric vehicles for trips requiring a personal vehicle." Goulden said. "And currently that's about 5% of cars on the road in Sebastopol according to the California Energy Commission."