Editorial: Sacramento’s top polluter is traffic. So why does the county’s climate plan create more?
While it remains to be seen what promises will be made — and likely broken — at the 26th annual UN Climate Change Conference in Scotland next month, you need not travel to Glasgow to see climate denialism in action. Sacramento County has that well in hand.
The latest version of the county’s Climate Action Plan, set to go before the Planning Commission and then the Board of Supervisors after public comment ends Friday, simply doesn’t live up to its name. Representatives of local environmental groups such as 350 Sacramento, the Environmental Council of Sacramento and the Citizens Climate Lobby of Sacramento say the long-awaited document falls far short of promises made more than 10 years ago.
The county’s planning staff started developing the document to meet state-mandated greenhouse gas reductions in 2009. The plan, however, has faced justified criticism for its lack of action and encountered repeated and extensive delays. County officials further undermined its credibility last year when they urged developers to help fund the climate plan, raising concerns about conflicts of interest.