Global warming is nearly universally recognized by scientists, and much of the public, as one of the most important threats facing human civilization, and political stability. This rise in temperatures has major implications for transboundary migration, economic prosperity, and the future of human development.
Locally, the effects of climate change are likely to reduce the availability of hydro generated electricity, increase the incidence of forest fires, and lead to a rise in the level of San Francisco Bay that would impact Palo Alto’s shoreline.
The Climate Protection Plan (CPP) continues a process, of which the Green Ribbon Task Force (GRTF) recommendations were an earlier step, through which the City government and the community are working together to reduce significantly greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A cross reference between the GRTF recommendations and those of the CPP are summarized at the end of each chapter and presented in-full in Appendix I.
The goal of the CPP is to present a comprehensive inventory of municipal (City government-generated) and community-generated emissions, propose reduction targets, and propose practical steps to reach those targets.
