Dear City Council:
Being a Council Member is intricate, challenging work. I sincerely appreciate each of you and what you bring to your role. Thank you for your devoted service to our City.
I'm compelled today to write about what I feel should be a higher priority on the City Council agenda—implementing the CAP adopted last year. While I applaud the variety of projects the Council has directed staff to undertake—including several to "green our City"—I believe that the extreme escalation of the Climate Crisis demands that all governments in our country, state, county and city reprioritize their focus and work plans to speed progress to become carbon neutral.
I was disheartened to read the published progress report toward implementation of the CAP. Those "NOs" in response to whether or not the City will meet its 2030 goals were devastating and frightening. There is, in my opinion, NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT than implementing the CAP.
A recent poll showed that 80% of US residents are concerned about the climate crisis. I estimate that number is higher in Menlo Park.
The US Defense Department, having carefully studied the climate crisis for a long time, is now preparing for wars over food and water in the years to come.
Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, recently equated mitigating climate change to a "timed test," in which every minute counts. He suggested there's not time to keep sharpening pencils. We need to face this test—the greatest challenge humanity has ever encountered—with all possible focus, energy, determination and SPEED.
Please find, hire and release every available resource NOW to implement the CAP. The funds that have accumulated for community outreach about the CAP, for example, need to be put to work ASAP. At a recent Council meeting, Members recognized the deep need for community outreach, commented that the current outreach employee is tasked to the max, but took no steps in that meeting to plan for outreach.
I implore you to act now.
Cheryl Schaff
953 Cotton Street
Cheryl Schaff
Menlo Park Climate Team
Peninsula Clean Energy Citizens Advisory Committee
Climate Reality Project Leader, Bay Area Chapter
Extinction Rebellion San Mateo
650.533.0307
Habitable planets are hard to find.
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