Climate Action Plan
About the Plan
Project Overview
The Climate Action Plan (CAP) a comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the impacts of climate change. Under state law, California is required to meet certain statewide greenhouse gas emission reduction goals to help protect our environment. According to California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment Central Coast Region Report, some of the climate change effects Salinas and the greater Monterey County area could see include longer droughts, hotter temperatures, and greater precipitation variability. This increases the risks of wildfires and threatens the future of agriculture in the region. To help guide the city, the 2019 Greenhouse Gas Inventory will be used to identify significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions. The CAP will focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in ways that invest in equity while adapting to the impacts already affecting us today.
Photo above: Multi-use path located along E Alisal St near Bardin Elementary.
Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Summary
The Greenhouse Gas Inventory is an assessment of Salinas' greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The assessment identifies major sources of emissions that result from activities of residents, employees, and other community members occurring within the community. Some examples include residents driving cars, homes using water, and businesses using electricity. The study also shows how emissions have changed over time. Identifying which activities are contributing most to Salinas' emissions will allow the City to develop policies and programs that facilitate and decrease in emissions for each activity.
Methods
The Greenhouse Gas Inventory uses the U.S. Community Protocol as recommended by State officials and will also incorporate the Global Protocol to asses GHG emissions from sources not covered in the U.S. Protocol. Sources of GHG emissions were assessed from seven categories of activities: transportation, energy, solid waste, off-road equipment, agriculture, water and wastewater, and land use and sequestration. The data will come from City, Monterey County, and regional agencies, State agencies, and utilities.
2019 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
The 2019 Greenhouse Gas Inventory found that, in Salinas, the largest source of GHG emissions was transportation, accounting for 65% of GHG emissions. Residential energy use and non-residential energy use were the next most significant sources of emissions, accounting for 13% and 11%, respectively. Solid waste accounted for 8% of emissions, off-road equipment accounted for 3% of emissions, water and wastewater accounted for 1% of emissions, agriculture accounted for 0.3% of emissions, and land use and sequestrations accounted for -0.7% of emissions.
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Community Engagement
The City will be conducting public outreach throughout the CAP process to ensure the plan addresses the community's concerns and desires. To reach the public, the city will conduct research in various ways. Through public meetings and workshops, City staff will be able to have conversations with residents and inform them on the CAP. Also, City staff will be conducting Pop-Up Surveys at various locations and events to meet people where they are. Pop-Ups allow for staff to have quicker and sometimes less formal conversations with community members while still gathering feedback. Stay tuned for more ways to get involved!
Survey
Take our Climate Action Priorities Survey to help us create a healthy and sustainable city!
Take the survey at here, go to bit.ly/SalinasCAP, or scan here!
Workshops
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Climate Action Plan Workshop
