The Long Beach Climate Action Plan (LB CAP) provides a framework for creating or updating policies, programs, practices, and incentives for Long Beach residents and businesses to reduce the City's greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint, and ensure the community and physical assets are better protected from the impacts of climate change. Engaging those who live, work, and play in Long Beach is essential to creating an effective and successful LB CAP. Residents, business owners, students, and other community stakeholders are encouraged to get involved by providing input and sharing ideas, priorities, and solutions to help establish and achieve the City's climate goals through the LB CAP.

Climate change is happening now, so we need to act quickly. The LB CAP will address climate action and climate adaptation, and help the City to comply with various local, regional, State, and federal regulations to significantly reduce emissions.

Climate action refers to actions taken to address the causes of climate change and reduce the impact we (people) have on the climate system (e.g. adoption of energy-efficient components and systems including buildings, vehicles, appliances). On the other hand, climate adaptation refers to adjusting our behaviors, systems, and infrastructure to reduce the impact climate change has on us. There are three types of adaptation strategies - structural, natural, and community-based.

In addition to being concerned about the impacts of climate change, implementing the LB CAP will help Long Beach meet its obligations to the State of California. The City is obligated under the California Environmental Quality Act, AB 32 (The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006), SB 375 (The Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008), and various California Executive orders to do its part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. California Senate Bill 379 requires cities and counties to include climate adaptation and resiliency strategies in their general plans to ensure safety and protection of their community in the future.

In November 2015, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia signed an official commitment to the Compact of Mayors (now called the Global Covenant of Mayors), a global coalition working to collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance resilience to climate change. In order to comply with Compact requirements, the City of Long Beach must establish a plan for climate action and a plan for adaptation.

From April 2017 to May 2018, the LB CAP development process was focused on technical analyses required as a basis of data and facts for developing a climate action plan, including a review of the latest climate science for Long Beach, a climate hazards analysis, vulnerability assessments, vulnerabilities mapping, greenhouse gas emissions inventories and forecasts, and GHG reductions target setting. Data can be found on our Resources & Documents page.

Between summer 2018 and summer 2019, a variety of community outreach events and activities focused on validating the data and risk assessments, and working in partnership with the community to understand, prioritize and plan mitigation measures and adaptation strategies towards LB CAP goals and reduction targets that include: new regulations, prioritized infrastructure improvements, strategies for growing a green economy, energy efficiency and alternative transportation incentive programs, urban greening efforts, community partnerships and more.

Developing and adopting the LB CAP is just the beginning of an ongoing, collaborative process to make Long Beach a safer, healthier and more sustainable place to live, work and play. Residents, business owners, students, and other community stakeholders are encouraged to get involved by providing input, spreading the word, and sharing ideas, priorities, and solutions to help establish and achieve the City's climate goals.

The climate action/mitigation element of the LB CAP includes the following:

• A GHG inventory of emissions from various sectors in the Long Beach community, such as building energy, transportation, solid waste, and wastewater.
• A forecast of projected emissions based on anticipated City growth.
• Development of GHG reduction targets based on the latest climate science, and local, regional, State, and federal context and requirements.
• Analysis of existing sustainability and climate mitigation efforts.
• Development of additional GHG mitigation strategies to reduce future emissions from key sectors.
• Development of a framework for implementing mitigation strategies.
• A plan to monitor the performance of the mitigation strategies using performance metrics to track GHG reduction targets.