Public Comment

On Tuesday, May 5, the Berkeley City Council unanimously approved its Climate Action Plan and consequently moved one step closer to becoming one the first governments in the country to address climate change by developing a more local, sustainable food system. 

The council’s Climate Action Plan outlines how Berkeley will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent below 2000 levels by 2050, as directed by Measure G, which was passed by 81 percent of Berkeley voters in 2006. Berkeley’s Climate Action Plan is primarily focused on transportation, building efficiency, and land-use planning changes, but also has proposals to build a more sustainable, local food system, and more recycling. The plan was developed through a two-year process that involved a broad community input process. 

The Ecology Center and the California Food and Justice Coalition successfully advocated for improvements in the plan’s food policies to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the food system. These policies include: supporting the development of community gardens; supporting the development of local food businesses; encouraging government agencies and contractors to purchase local food; encouraging and providing guidelines consistent with building codes for buildings to incorporate rooftop food gardens; and encouraging and providing trainings to residents to grow their own food. 

Scientific research indicates that food that is organic, locally grown, and contains less-packaging releases less greenhouse gases than more conventional foods. According to a WorldWatch Institute study, a typical meal bought from a conventional supermarket chain consumes four to 17 times more petroleum for transport than the same meal using local ingredients. A recent academic report by author Dr. Mae Wan Ho estimated that “organic, sustainable agriculture that localizes food systems has the potential to mitigate nearly thirty percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and save one-sixth of global energy use.” 

“Without food systems, a Climate Action Plan is missing a critical part of our emissions equation,” said Martin Bourque the Executive Director of the Ecology Center. “Reducing our carbon footprint by eating locally and producing our own food needs to be made easier by new policies and not just by individual choices of the deeply committed.” 

“As one of the most comprehensive city or county climate action plans in the nation, Berkeley’s climate action plan is serving as a model for other municipalities to learn from and replicate,” says the Director of the California Food & Justice Coalition, Shereen D’Souza. “The food policies included in Berkeley’s climate action plan should serve as an example for governments striving to tackle climate change across North America and beyond.” 

If humanity does not drastically reduce its current rate of greenhouse gas emissions, scientists predict that the food sector will be negatively impacted by the resultant increases in temperature. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the likelihood of crop productivity in all regions across the world undergoing decline increases dramatically with a temperature rise of 3.6 Farenheit, which will conequently increase hunger rates, particularly in developing countries. Regionally, if temperatures rise by 8 to 10.4 Farenheit, the Sierra Nevada snow pac is set to decline by up to 90 percent, which would dry up water supply to California’s agricultural sector, the nation’s breadbasket and a huge driver for California’s economy. 

Despite the link between climate change and the food system, very few governments have incorporated policies into climate action plans that support the development of local, organic, and sustainable food systems. California’s statewide plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050 proposes to conduct research into the gashouse gas emissions saved through farmers planting trees on their land, and encourages—but does not mandate—farms to capture methane, a greenhouse gas, for energy production. 

Typically, climate action plans have prioritized reducing the amount of electricity generated from renewable sources, such as wind and solar power, reducing transportation, and increasing the energy efficiency of buildings. Given that these sectors release the bulk of GHG emissions it seems sensible for governments to prioritize these sectors, however, if the goal is to reduce GHG emissions by 80 percent by 2050 at a minimum, then GHG emissions from all major sectors in society, including food, must be reduced. 

Many governments are considering and developing policies and plans to respond to climate change. Nearly 30 percent of California cities have committed to reducing their GHG emissions by some amount, 32 states are implementing policies to address climate change, with many committing to hard GHG emission reductions, and the Obama administration has expressed interested in committing the United States to reducing its GHG emissions as well. It is expected that many more governments will implement climate action plans as the impacts of global warming worsen and the public’s demand for action escalates. 

Note: Berkeley’s Climate Action Plan is currently undergoing an environmental review and will return to the council for final adoption on June 2. 

A copy of Berkeley’s April 2009 Climate Action Plan is online at: www.berkeleyclimateaction.org. 

A copy of CFJC’s submission to Berkeley’s Climate Action Plan is online at: www.foodsecurity.org.