Santa Monica publishes Climate Action and Adaptation Progress Report

Santa Monica publishes Climate Action and Adaptation Progress Report

July 22, 2025 10:31 AM
by Nico Predock

In 2019, the Santa Monica City Council adopted the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, or CAAP, to reduce the city's carbon emissions and foster a more resilient and sustainable community, with the goal of reaching carbon neutrality citywide by 2050.

To monitor the city's progress toward its ambitious climate goals, and detail the work still ahead, the city's Office of Sustainability and the Environment, or OSE, recently published the Climate Action and Adaptation Progress Report.

As stated in the report, the city's most recent emissions inventory shows a 54 percent reduction in carbon emissions since 1990. To meet the CAAP's interim target of an 80 percent reduction in emissions below 1990 levels by 2030, the city will need to further reduce emissions by 26 percent.

To do this, CAAP focuses on three primary sectors: zero net carbon buildings, zero waste and sustainable mobility.

Policies that have demonstrated success in reducing emissions so far include:

• Defaulting Santa Monica customers to 100 percent clean electricity through the Clean Power Alliance
• Improvements in heat pump technologies for space and water heating and induction for cooking are making homes cleaner and more efficient

In the transportation sector:

• Electric Vehicle, or EV, adoption is up
• Big Blue Buses are transitioning from natural gas to electric
• and there are now 123 miles of bike lanes throughout the city

Even with these successes, the city's climate goals are ambitious, and deep emissions reductions cannot be achieved by state and local policy work alone.

The Santa Monica community has an opportunity to contribute to sustainability efforts by "thinking locally and acting globally." From choosing to drive an electric vehicle, to switching out gas appliances in the home, to biking or walking instead of driving, these seemingly small decisions make a big difference.

Now, more than ever, cities are at the forefront of climate action, trying to mitigate and prepare for the effects of a changing climate. In addition to benchmarking the city's sustainability successes, this report is a call to action to residents, community organizations and local businesses to take an active part in our transition to a vibrant low carbon economy.

We are proud of what we have accomplished to date and acknowledge the many community members and organizations that have contributed to this remarkable progress.

To learn more about the city's ongoing sustainability efforts and how to make more sustainable choices, visit the Sustainable and Connected webpage.

Authored By

Nico Predock
Sustainability Analyst

Categories

Programs, Strategic Priorities, Sustainable and Connected, Your City Hall