An avalanche of climate change information can be overwhelming — but the Climate Change Working Group is hosting two public forums this month to break it all down to Chula Vista residents and get their feedback, as they prepare to update the Climate Action Plan.
The CCWG is a group of 17 residents and organization representatives that collaborate to update the City Climate Action Plan and focus on community services, new development, infrastructure, transportation, waste management, utilities and the environment.
“This is our effort to share what we’re talking about at [Climate Change Working Group] meetings with the community. This is the opportunity to have it be a little more resident focused,” City Conservationist Cory Downs said.
The forums will take place Wednesday Sept. 18 at Chula Vista’s Otay Ranch library located at 2015 Birch Road and Thursday Sept. 26 at the Civic Center Library Auditorium.
Each forum will consist of a 30 minute interactive poster session where residents learn about actions the City has taken since the last Climate Action Plan was introduced in 2017, and actions the City wants to take before 2020.
Residents will also be able to give their input as to how Chula Vista should move forward through an online survey that corresponds with the poster session. The survey and the posters can be accessed by anyone at www.chulavistaca.gov/departments/clean.
Following the interactive poster sessions, attendees will have the opportunity to listen to an hour-long presentation by climate change experts.
Executive Director of The Nonprofit Institute Dr. Emily Young will give a presentation Sept. 18 diving into how climate change ties into the relationship between economic prosperity and quality of life in the San Diego region, specifically highlighting Chula Vista.
“Our local climate is changing like it is all across the world,” Young said.
Recognizing that climate change is not just a challenge for young people to face, but an intergenerational challenge is important, according to Young.
She cited 2013 public opinion surveys conducted by local universities and organizations which found that 84 percent of San Diego County residents believe climate change will impact them and their families for future generations — and said that belief needs to manifest into action.
“Parents and grandparents owe it to our children and future generations to take action on climate change in order to ensure a healthy living planet and a good quality of life,” Young said.
She encourages Chula Vista residents who cannot attend either of the Climate Change Action forums to check out climate change data on The Nonprofit Institute’s website at www.sandiego.edu/soles/hub-nonprofit.
Assistant Director of Energy Policy Initiatives Center at USD School of Law Dr. Nilmini Silvasend will give a presentation about state trends and the ways in which local climate policies impact citizens on Sept. 26.
Director of EPIC at USD School of Law Scott Anders was originally going to do the presentation, and said a lot has changed in terms of policy in recent years, so the goal of the presentation will be to catch people up on what’s new and what’s to come in terms of climate change policy.
“I think this next round of climate change action plan were going to see a greater emphasis and more detailed focus on equity. In the past there was a consideration of equity, but there was really no road map,” Anders said.
He added that the presentation will highlight the “guard rails” defined at the state and federal level that local governments must work within to reduce carbon emissions.
If any Chula Vista residents cannot attend the forums, Anders encourages them to educate themselves and find information about climate change from reputable sources and climate scientists.
