San Francisco Ups the GHG Ante

27 September 2004

San Francisco Chronicle. Three days after California Governor Schwarzenegger signed the CA climate change bill regulating CO₂ emissions, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome announced a climate action plan designed to slash the city’s greenhouse emissions by 2012 to a target level set at 20 percent below 1990 emissions.

San Francisco—including city government, businesses and residents as well as commuters who work in the city—are responsible for an estimated 9. 1 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 1990, [...] mostly in the form of carbon dioxide from burning gasoline and other fossil fuels in cars, buildings and power plants.

The total was already up to 9.7 million tons in 2000, and will grow to about 10.8 million tons by 2012 if nothing is done. The new plan sets a goal of 7.2 million tons, a reduction of about 2.5 million tons from the current emissions level.

San Francisco is one of about 150 other U.S. cities and counties, including Oakland and Berkeley, and 600 local governments around the world, implementing such steps as part of their own climate action plans.