Climate Action Plan

The City of Carlsbad has developed a Climate Action Plan to help the city meet state goals for reducing greenhouse gases and the community’s goal of promoting a sustainable environment.

What’s a Climate Action Plan?

A Climate Action Plan is a long-range strategy to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, which include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapor. Carlsbad’s Climate Action Plan sets a baseline for past and current emissions, forecasts future emissions and establishes targets to reduce future emissions.

Requirements

In 2005, the governor issued an executive order requiring we:

• By 2020, reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels
• By 2050, reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 20 percent of 1990 levels

In 2006 the California Legislature passed the Global Warming Solutions Act, also known as AB 32, which established the 2020 emissions target and gave the California Air Resources Board the task of developing a plan to hit the target. In 2008 the Legislature amended the California Environmental Quality Act, a state law guiding development, to say that greenhouse gas emissions should be analyzed the same way as other impacts to our environment.

New GHG- Reduction Rules Approved

To meet state-mandated requirements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the City of Carlsbad’s Climate Action Plan includes the creation of new requirements for residential and commercial buildings. On March 12, 2019, the Carlsbad City Council adopted ordinances related to energy efficiency, renewable energy, alternative water heating, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and transportation demand management. These ordinances amend the Carlsbad Municipal Code and apply to all new and some existing developments. You can find out more about the amendments to the Carlsbad Municipal Code and their related cost-effectiveness studies here.

Related Info

• CAP Amendment No. 1 (redline version)
• Climate Action Plan Update and Vehicle Miles Traveled Calculations
• Third Annual Report  
• Second Annual Report 
• First Annual Report
• 2015 Climate Action Plan
• Executive orders on climate change
• AB 32, "California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006"
• California climate strategy
• City of Carlsbad General Plan
• About climate change
• How to help 
• Transportation Demand Management Program

City of Carlsbad Contact