The Bay Area emits 100 million tons of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) per year. Scientists tell us that to avoid catastrophic warming we must cut GHG emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050 (down to 17.6 million tons in the Bay Area). California aims to reduce GHGs to 1990 levels by 2020. It's a start, but not nearly enough. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) has the power to regulate over 50% of all the GHG emissions in the Bay Area. The Air District needs to lead the way to bring those emissions down to safe, sustainable levels. If the progressive, environmentally aware Bay Area can't lead the way, who can?

Petition

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s Mission is “to protect and improve public health, air quality and the global climate.”

We petition the Air District to use its authority to:

• Declare that catastrophic climate disruption is an escalating emergency
• Act on its mission by adopting aggressive programs by July 2014 to reduce Bay Area greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050*.

*This is the level that the National Research Council determined as a worldwide goal in order to keep global warming from exceeding 2 degrees Celsius.