Oakland Climate Action Coalition

The LCEA has been actively engaged in working with the Oakland Climate Action Coalition (OCAC) to make sure that the city's Energy and Climate Action Plan addresses climate justice and the needs of vulnerable communities. The OCAC has more than twenty-five organizations, including the Ella Baker Center, Communities for a Better Environment, Asian-Pacific Environmental Network, Rising Sun Energy Center, and Sustainable Peralta.

The LCEA is actively participating on the OCAC Steering Committee, taking the lead on energy and greenhouse gas reduction target-setting and actions to reduce building energy use. The OCAC has adopted our call for Oakland's climate plan to shoot for a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 1990 levels by 2020, which is based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's most recent recommendations for industrialized countries. This translates to 47% reduction from 2005 levels and just over 6% annually. At the most recent Energy and Climate Action Plan public workshops, Bay Localize's Aaron Lehmer and Kirsten Schwind participated in an action with the OCAC to boldly present the Coalition's goals, while Dave Room helped out as a facilitator.

On June 4th, the OCAC approved Targets, Goals, Actions, and Policies, as well as Principles for a Just and Equitable Energy and Climate Action Plan, which both were sent to the City of Oakland on June 5th.

The LCEA has also been in communication with both Garrett Fitzgerald and Scott Wentworth at the City of Oakland about setting targets and priorities. Right now, Oakland is developing a preliminary target for GHG emissions reductions by 2020 that will be used in the analysis of potential actions. The targets are going before Oakland's Public Works Committee at a public meeting on June 23rd and potentially to full council as soon as early July. Later this fall, they will go back to council with the final target recommendations as well as recommendations for measuring, monitoring, reporting back, and potentially annual targets. Clean energy advocates should start talking up the need for these additional aspects now.