It is well-established scientific consensus that human activities are responsible for the increase in heat-trapping greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere, causing average global temperatures to rise over time. This rise in temperature is changing global climate patterns and increasing the likelihood of weather-related natural disasters, affecting Los Angeles County and communities worldwide. Climate change has the potential to harm this current and future generations’ safety, public health, economy, and quality of life.
To address climate change and safeguard local communities, the State of California adopted AB 32 in 2006, also known as the Global Warming Solutions Act, establishing a state-wide goal to achieve 1990 emission levels by 2020. In supporting California’s GHG reduction goals, the County adopted a Community Climate Action Plan (CCAP) in August 2015 to reduce GHG emissions associated with community activities in unincorporated Los Angeles County by at least 11% below 2010 levels by 2020. According to the most recent inventory, both total and per-capita GHG emissions in unincorporated Los Angeles County have been increasing since 2010. This upward trend demonstrates the urgent need for further action to meet climate goals.
In December 2015, world leaders adopted the Paris Agreement, a global action plan to avoid catastrophic impacts of climate change, formalizing their concerted efforts to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The agreement urged national leaders to join forces with states and local governments to commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In support of the Paris Agreement, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors signed the “We Are Still In” Declaration in September 2018, affirming the County’s continued commitment to uphold the target set by the Paris Agreement. The OurCounty CAP is aligned with that declaration and is also aligned with former Governor Jerry Brown’s executive order B-55-18 that brings California to carbon neutrality by 2045, five years before the Paris Agreement deadline.
