Community Corner
Berkeley Mayor Announces Ambitious Climate Goals
Berkeley aims to use 100 percent renewable energy and to reduce the City's carbon footprint to zero.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin has announced that his city has set a goal to reach 100 percent renewable electricity citywide by 2035, 10 years sooner than the 2045 goal for California that was set in a bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday.
Arreguin also set a goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Arreguin made those commitments at the Global Climate Action Summit taking place this week in San Francisco in an effort to set concrete goals as outlined by the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016.
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In addition, Arreguin said Berkeley has signed on to an electric vehicle purchasing initiative that will provide access to reduced-cost clean energy vehicles and infrastructure and has joined a group of Bay Area cities calling for a ban on the transport of coal through their jurisdictions.
"Climate change poses a serious threat to our residents, environment, infrastructure and quality of life and calls for immediate action from local, state and federal governments," Arreguin said in a statement.
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Arreguin said, "By making these commitments, the City of Berkeley is prioritizing working toward reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and moving toward a carbon-free future."
The mayor said the new commitments build on Berkeley's ongoing sustainability and resiliency goals going back more than a decade.
In 2009, Berkeley adopted a Climate Action Plan, which is a long-range vision to achieve zero net energy consumption for all new and existing buildings by 2050 and make public transit, cycling and walking the
primary means of transport for city residents.
Arreguin said Berkeley has made significant progress, including launching a local requirement for building owners to complete and report energy assessments to identify energy and cost-saving opportunities.
— Bay City News; Image via NASA
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