ABSTRACT
Local governments in California were tasked by the 2006 Climate Change Solutions Act (Assembly Bill 32) to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to help achieve statewide emissions reduction goals. Many jurisdictions have developed climate action plans (CAPs) that provide context for their current rate of emissions, strategies across various sector being planned to be employed to reduce emissions, and the expected impact those strategies will have. However, not all CAPs are created equally, as certain jurisdictions develop robust CAPs that include actual emissions and economic values, list responsible parties, and identify co-benefits, while others barely meet the minimum requirements. The goal of this paper is to summarize a review of existing CAPs developed by different regions, counties and cities in the USA and determine what information makes CAPs stand out, and assess which attributes make them more actionable. The research examines strategies in the transportation sector and looks across CAPs to evaluate how actionable the strategies appear to be. For example, the CAP developed by one California county that was reviewed is exemplary in particular because it included a detailed assessment of costs—this included expected upfront costs, entities responsible for covering the upfront cost, annual net savings or costs per strategy, and entities incurring these annual savings or costs—among other key qualities. This paper also explores the role lifecycle assessment can play in the prioritization of GHG reduction strategies. Finally, the paper provides recommendations on what future iterations of CAPs should include, roadway strategies that can be considered, and introduces potential solutions to decision making.
