Report on Climate County Action Plan (CAP)

Our review of the Land Use and Transportation component of the County of San Diego Climate Action Plan (Final, January 2018). The CAP reports that this sector produces 45% of current GHG emissions in the unincorporated part of the County. We found the following deficiencies in the CAP:

1) The Climate Action Plan (CAP) relies too much on carbon offsets in 2030 and has no mitigation plan for 2050.

2) The CAP fails to demonstrate that this critical offset program is even feasible.

3) The CAP does not adequately account for land use impacts within its control, including increases due to General Plan Amendments (GPAs).

4) The CAP fails to account for induced travel from expanded roadway capacity – both for new County roads, and for regional road expansion.

5) The CAP fails to include transit in a substantial way.

6) The CAP included no alternative that addresses the Land Use and Transportation component, the sector with the greatest GHG emissions.

7) An alternative should have been included that reduced future development, particularly in areas that are not currently served by transit, and that also included less County and regional road expansion, and regional transit expansion.

8) Such an alternative could meet the 2030 target without the offset program, and make a much better start towards meeting the 2050 goal than the CAP alternative.

9) The CAP also should have included an alternative with reduced future development, but without regional transit expansion.

Read the report here: Report on Climate County Action Plan (CAP)