Over the last two weeks, LA has been forced to accept a grim reality:
The effects of climate change are already upon us.
We need action now -- today -- to avoid total climate emergency.
Here's what’s happening -- and what we can do here in LA. (thread) latimes.com/california/sto…
The 1st, 3rd, and 4th largest fires in California history are all burning at the same time.
In LA, we've experienced the worst smog in almost 30 years -- during one of our hottest weekends in recorded history.
latimes.com/california/sto…
Over just two days of LA’s scorching Labor Day weekend, at least 18 people experiencing homelessness died.
The rest of our unhoused neighbors have been forced to breathe poisonous air for weeks.
Climate change and air quality are related, even without wildfires. Smog production is accelerated by rising temperatures.
LA has already experienced a 2.3°C increase in average temperature since 1895: twice the average increase in the continental US. washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/…
In Sacramento, Gov. Newson is proclaiming “climate change is real.”
But in the first six months of 2020, the number of oil and gas drilling permits CA has issued is up 190%.
In July 2020, Newsom’s office issued 12 new fracking permits to Chevron alone. washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/…
In LA, we aren’t responding to climate change with any urgency -- and sometimes we’re even going backwards.
Last month, every city councilmember but one voted to relax emission standards at the Port of LA, which will soon become our biggest polluter.
dailybreeze.com/2020/08/14/la-…
Our Mayor's Green New Deal, meanwhile, aims to get LA to net-zero emissions by 2050.
But this goal is 20 years behind what climate experts say is required to avert catastrophe. la.streetsblog.org/2019/04/30/gar…
LA must mobilize to fight climate change quickly. Today. Now.
The good news: it’s within our power.
Unlike most cities, LA’s utility company (LADWP) is publicly owned -- which means it does not operate for profit and is controlled by the city.
Right now, only about a third of LADWP’s energy comes from renewable sources -- while over half comes from burning coal and natural gas.
It's time to accelerate a shift toward renewables and away from fossil fuels.
Our City Council has the power to do it.
We can direct our local utility to increase investments in large solar projects, as well as smaller solar systems distributed throughout the city.
The LADWP can also enact a massive Green New Deal program to retrofit buildings across the city and increase energy efficiency.
We can cut vehicle emissions through investing in protected bus and bike lanes, pedestrian-friendly street design, and planting *a lot* more trees.
I wrote last week about LA’s shrinking tree canopy and what we can do about it here:
LA can enforce large setbacks between oil wells and schools/residences, and ban gas hookups in new homes like Berkeley, San Jose, and other California cities have.
Ventura County’s Board of Supervisors just did all of this and more yesterday!
These are dark times for Los Angeles. A pandemic has made it dangerous to socialize inside, and toxic air is making it dangerous to go outside.
But there *are* solutions. We just have to channel all our energy into pushing our local leaders to act.
It’s time to abandon the politics of complacency in LA. We need action now.
I know that so many of you feel the same urgency I do. That’s what gives me hope in otherwise bleak times.
If we mobilize now, we can still avert serious harm. But we can't wait. And we can't give up.
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