Dear Mayor Taylor and City Council Members, Thank you for declaring a Climate Emergency last month and supporting the Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) recommendation to adopt a new reduction target of carbon neutral (zero emissions) by 2030! I’m writing to urge you to continue to prioritize climate action in 2020 by formally adopting this goal and taking several measures to advance it, as recommended by EQC. We need bold local climate leadership now more than ever, given that Menlo Park is facing growing impacts of climate change with more intense heat waves, increased fire danger and smoke, and rising sea levels that will bring serious flooding. The World Health Organization issued a warning recently that climate change will be one of the most urgent health threats https://mailchimp.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f2f8c4bdabe1a2a83f914e813&id=4657e68a62&e=d9788ae69f > of this decade, due to extreme weather and other impacts. And the World Economic Forum (WEF) issued a new report https://mailchimp.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f2f8c4bdabe1a2a83f914e813&id=1a2e8c3588&e=d9788ae69f > naming climate change the biggest global threat https://mailchimp.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f2f8c4bdabe1a2a83f914e813&id=e86d0a81c1&e=d9788ae69f > to the future. At the recent WEF in Davos, Greta Thunberg gave another powerful address calling for urgent climate action https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/greta-thunberg-davos-message-climate-change/ >, saying: “Our house is still on fire. Your inaction is fueling the flames by the hour. And we are telling you to act as if you loved your children above all else.” Menlo Park has shown significant leadership on climate action with measures to prioritize clean energy, avoid fossil fuels in new construction, and support electric vehicles. The EQC has laid out a very impressive, well researched, and carefully vetted plan to continue this leadership. I urge you to adopt EQC’s recommendations for priorities in 2020: * Adopt a “lean” Climate Action Plan including the climate neutral goal for 2030, in time for Earth Day in April. * Adopt the following critical 2020 climate actions proposed by EQC: 1. “Decarbonization” (phasing out fossil fuels) of municipal assets; 2. Electrification programs for existing buildings to help phase out fossil gas; 3. Explore ways to reduce VMT (solo driving), through priority measures, such as increasing housing density downtown; 4. Increase permit compliance for heating and water heating equipment; and 5. Create an educational campaign to engage community members on climate preservation. Thank you for your consistent support making Menlo Park a more sustainable city and a regional leader on how cities can prosper while leading on climate actions. Warm regards, Diane Diane Bailey | Executive Director MENLO SPARK diane_at_(domainremoved)650-281-7073 Visit us: www.MenloSpark.org http://www.menlospark.org/ > Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/menlospark2025?ref=aymt_homepage_panel > Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/MenloSpark2025 > [cid:1CD55049-1854-4B28-AE94-F9A38B4DD13A] Climate Neutral for a Healthy, Prosperous Menlo Park EV, PV & Fossil Free: Guides for Electric Cars, solar & Fossil Free Homes at: http://menlospark.org/what-we-do/ (image/png attachment: image001.png )
