Through the development of a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) the City of San Antonio is working on plan to improve the health of our families, reduce our city's climate pollution, and prepare our residents for a rise in extreme weather. In early 2019, City Council will vote on a final San Antonio CAAP.

The Climate Action SA coalition and our members are active in the CAAP process and are specifically advocating for a San Antonio community goal to achieve net negative greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner, following a path that prioritizes near-term pollution reductions. That means that eventually all activities in the community would be sequestering (pulling in and storing) more greenhouse gases than they are releasing. Other cities are setting similar goals and working towards meeting them. San Antonio can do this too!

We are advocating for this ambitious goal because the science shows that it is necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change. The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that the remaining global carbon budget to keep the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius or less and is rapidly shrinking. We must make dramatic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in our communities now and over the coming decade.

Reducing San Antonio’s fossil fuel use quickly is necessary to achieve these important climate goals and doing so will also reduce local air pollution. San Antonio’s air doesn't meet federal standards for ozone pollution (smog) - meaning it's not healthy to breath. We need to climate action now to protect our health and that of our families and neighbors now and for the future.