Let’s Make Coronado a Model City!
Coronado’s “Aspirational” Climate Action Plan Falls Short
To Achieve REAL Progress, Coronado’s Climate Action Plan MUST:
• Be tailored to Coronado
• Clearly establish goals
• Create incentives for community buy-in and collaborative participation
• Provide the means to assess progress
Coronado Support for Climate Action is Strong!
This spring, Emerald Keepers inaugural “Earth Day Survey” assessed Coronado resident environmental knowledge, attitudes and policy expectations, revealing strong support for climate action. Of the survey responses:
• 89% express concern for climate impact on future generations
• 87% demonstrate strong acceptance of environmental laws and regulations even at a recognized “cost.”
• 90+% support for governmental incentives to boost individual level clean energy/energy efficiency choices and 85.8% agree with requiring utilities to draw upon renewable energy sources.
Almost two-thirds of Coronadans surveyed say they do not believe the City of Coronado is doing enough.
Climate Action Measures Needed to Move beyond the Current “Aspirational” Plan
1. Set a goal of net zero emissions by 2050 to align with scientific recommendations and national goals.
2. Abandon fossil fuel use and embrace renewable energy through the electrification and solarization of Coronado.
• Solarize all public buildings
• Develop electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in line with consumer supply and mandated California car sales goal of 100% electric by 2035;
• Require solar installation for major home remodels; and
• Encourage and incentivize individual and private industry to add solar capacity.
3. Join our regional Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program to increase renewable energy feed to the SDG&E electricity grid.
4. Create a Coronado Chief Resilience Officer position to oversee municipal climate and sustainability initiatives, providing holistic risk management and improving overall natural disaster preparedness.
CODE RED FOR HUMANITY!
• Global fires, floods, and storms are increasingly catastrophic.
• Significant biodiversity loss is occurring:
o 29% of all bird species have perished since 1970.
o 39% of honeybee populations have disappeared in the last decade.
o Animal populations have declined by 60% since 1970.
o Coral reefs are bleaching and dying globally due to rising ocean temperatures.
• Polar ice caps and glaciers are melting, releasing methane into the atmosphere, increasing sea level rise, and reducing Earth’s natural capacity to reflect sunlight and heat away from our planet.
• Ocean currents have slowed causing storms to stall and dump larger amounts of rainfall, particularly in the eastern half of the United States.
• Seas are rising. NOAA predicts a nine foot rise in Coronado before the end of the century. See https://bit.ly/2yRqgH4 to observe the Cays, Strand Housing, First Street and many others disappear underwater. The Spanish Bight will return and North Island will once again be an island.
The City is accepting comments on the draft Climate Action Plan until Friday, November 12. Go to: https://commentcoronado.org/climate-action-plan
For a sample letter you can email, click here: https://www.emeraldkeepers.org/climate
Emerald Keepers is also reassessing resident environmental knowledge, attitudes and policy expectations in light of the City’s developing Climate Action Plan. Please retake this survey even if you took the initial spring survey for a proper reassessment.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf9J2-1_J8yDP61BQYB0ObMIGF-R1TVvYrJLtPVeltMkaaG6w/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT EMERALDKEEPERS.ORG
