On the eastern side of San Francisco Bay, Oakland has a population of around 433,000 people and a land area of around 56 square miles. This makes Oakland approximately ten times the size of San Francisco with half the population.
Climate change has caused Oakland’s sea level to rise eight inches over the past 100 years, which has caused significant damage to local ecosystems. The 2015-2016 El Niño storms chipped away at it’s coasts, making the sea level rise even more costly to both people and wildlife. Oakland also suffered from the area’s 2015-2016 drought, another result of climate change. As the Earth continues to warm, Oakland can expect more periods of drought and powerful storms. Nearby wildfires, also a result of climate change, makes breathing a problem for residents year-round. As climate change drags on, East Oakland flats will become even hotter because of the asphalt and gray industrial concrete that absorbs the sun’s heat. Since recreation centers and schools do not have air conditioning as a result of historical injustice, East Oakland’s residents have less access to local cooling centers. The area’s lack of trees also adds to the impact of even walking in the community on a hot day.
Oakland developed a new Equitable Climate Action Plan (ECAP) which passed the Oakland City Council unanimously in July 2020. The ECAP is the City’s 10-year plan for mitigating and adapting to the climate crisis in ways that improve racial equity across Oakland. The ECAP includes 40 Actions across 7 sectors. More than 2,000 Oaklanders provided insights that were incorporated into the Plan over a two-year development period.
The ECAP was developed pursuant to City Council’s adopted 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction target of 56% relative to 2005 levels, as well as Oaklands 2018 Climate Emergency and Just Transition Resolution. Oakland’s City Council also adopted a 2045 Carbon Neutrality Goal, calling for a dramatic reduction in Oakland’s greenhouse gas emissions and “deep decarbonization” of the building and transportation sectors by 2045. This follows the previous reduction target of 36 percent by 2020.
11/15/22
Port officials from around the country and overseas, gathered virtually this month to discuss the impacts of climate change and sea level rise, search for mitigations, and share best practices. “The Port of Oakland as well…
By Dan Brekke 11/02/22
An Oakland environmental justice group has filed suit against the city for allegedly issuing rubber-stamp approvals for indoor cannabis growing operations without conducting state-mandated reviews of their potential for polluting air and water and harming…
By Bob Egelko 10/24/22
San Francisco and Oakland can sue major oil companies in a California state court for selling fossil fuel products and allegedly deceiving customers about their impact on climate change, a federal judge ruled Monday, rejecting…
By Port Technology Team 08/22/22
The project includes electrical infrastructure including solar generation, battery storage systems, a fuel cell, and the replacement of a substation and connecting circuitry. “This is a major step toward our goal to make the Oakland…
By Sonya Lustig 01/10/22
For the most part, Zaniah Whitfield’s mornings are nothing out of the ordinary. The four-year-old brushes her teeth, changes into school clothes, and eats breakfast with her mother, Claunisha Frazier, in their East Oakland home.…
12/23/21
Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter in September 2021 took the forward step of appointing a new environmental sustainability officer who is responsible for integrating social, financial, and environmental sustainability perspectives and best practices into everyday…
12/22/21
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement announcing more than $57 million in grants for ports in Long Beach and Oakland: “This much-needed funding will help improve port infrastructure in both Long Beach…
By Madeline Fitzgerald 12/16/21
San Francisco leads the nation in clean energy and other environmental initiatives, according to a report by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. The ACEEE, a nonprofit research organization, released a report this…
By Linda Davis 10/19/21
Residents are trying out carbon-neutral induction cooktops, and the City Council is working toward installing electric vehicle charging stations on Magnolia Avenue through East Bay Community Energy. For a small city, Piedmont has made great…
By Annabelle Sikes 09/21/21
The Youth Climate Project, in partnership with the Amon Family Foundation, "challenges high school juniors and seniors to get involved and learn about the role climate change is projected to play in Florida’s future and consider…
09/09/21
Oakland Roots SC today announced their commitment to be among the first professional soccer teams in the world to become climate positive. This means that Oakland Roots will go beyond achieving net-zero carbon emissions by…
By Nick Cahill 09/01/21
Founded on a lush plain of the largest estuary on the West Coast of North America shortly after gold was discovered, Antioch’s fortunes have always risen and fallen with the delta tides.
PLANS TO ACCELERATE RENEWABLES
08/14/20
Oakland's 2020 Energy and Climate Action Plan (ECAP) was adopted by the City Council on December 4th, 2012. The purpose of the City's first ECAP is to identify and prioritize actions the City can take…
04/03/20
The mission of Earth House Center, in Oakland, California, is to build healthy, just, and sustainable communities through education, training and multimedia communication tools.
04/03/20
Daniel Hamilton has been passionately cleaning and greening local governments since 1997.
04/03/20
List of organic restaurants in Oakland.
04/03/20
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of responsibility, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of stewardship, the responsible management of resource use.
04/03/20
Oakland is the third largest city in the San Francisco Bay area, with a population of 400,000. It has undertaken numerous sustainable development initiatives. In 1998, the City of Oakland adopted a Sustainable Community Development…
04/03/20
EnergySage helps you go solar
04/03/20
Support is available to help Oakland home owners and tenants improve the energy efficiency of their properties, conserve energy and reduce their energy bills.
04/03/20
We are the Bay Area’s foremost membership organization working at the local, state, and national level to promote a clean energy future through the development and democratization of local renewable energy resources.
04/02/20
Support is available to help Oakland home owners and tenants improve the energy efficiency of their properties, conserve energy and reduce their energy bills. Follow the links below for more information on these exciting programs.
04/02/20
East Bay Community Energy, also known as EBCE, is the local electricity supplier in Alameda County. EBCE provides cleaner, greener energy at competitive rates to our customers. EBCE reinvests earnings back into the community to…
04/02/20
Two of our newest projects meeting Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) Criteria are the Child Development Centers at Stonehurst and Arroyo Viejo. The La Escuelita Educational Complex, Phase 1, our first zero net energy…
04/02/20
The City of Oakland is committed to leading Oakland's progress in becoming a more sustainable city – a community in which all people have the opportunity to pursue safe, happy, healthy and fulfilling lives, now…
04/02/20
The Energy Group advocates for and supports planning and implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs for Oakland residents and businesses. In addition to supporting energy efficiency throughout Oakland, the City is leading by…
04/02/20
The City's Energy Group reduces electricity and natural gas use and greenhouse gas emissions from City facilities through advancing energy conservation, efficiency and solar power generation. It also advocates for and supports planning and implementation…
04/02/20
East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) is making moves to provide more local clean energy in Alameda County through its solicitation as part of the Oakland Clean Energy Initiative. This initiative, a partnership with PG&E, will…
04/02/20
We’re proud to say that we have been consistently named one of the greenest colleges in the nation by the Princeton Review since the ranking began in 2009. It’s part of our commitment to sustainability…
By Kevin Stark 08/24/21
In her first official visit as the nation’s top energy official, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm returned to Berkeley last week to promote the Biden administration’s clean energy agenda.
By Louis Hansen 06/10/21
As California’s wildfire season grows longer and more devastating blazes sweep through communities, researchers say the state must overhaul its development policies and community rebuilding efforts or risk greater tragedy and loss of lives.
By KC Morgan 05/31/21
Atomic City is Oakland, California’s first net-zero condominium complex, and it’s going to shape the future of building in the Bay Area. The complex’s design allows a tight-knit community of people to take care of each…
By Peter Snarr 03/03/21
Oakland has banned the use of leaf blowers, trimmers and other lawn equipment that rely on combustion engines, citing health and climate change concerns.
By George Kelly and Rick Hurd 02/11/21
Efforts continued Wednesday to clean up an oil spill at the Chevron refinery here that sent at least 100 gallons of petroleum product into San Francisco Bay waters on Tuesday evening.
By Raj Mathai 02/01/21
Our earth is changing: summers are growing hotter and winters are more unpredictable. There’s simply not enough rain, and there are too many fires.
By Lana Cohen 01/29/21
San Luis Obispo County received over 15 inches of rain in some areas, Mammoth Valley was hit with almost 110 inches of snow, mudslides decimated parts of Salinas, and destroyed Highway 1 in Big Sur.…
By Chris Crowell 01/26/21
Salient Energy is developing novel zinc-ion batteries as an alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries, and the California Energy Commission (CEC) is into it, awarding a grant worth over $1.5 million to support the design and assembly…
By Angela Ruggiero 01/22/21
Pleasanton residents will have an alternative energy option this April, more than a year after the city agreed to join a community choice nonprofit committed to providing clean energy.
By Julia Baum 01/06/21
East Bay Community Energy recently committed to providing nearly 1.7 million local customers with 100% renewable energy in the next decade, 15 years ahead of the state's target date, when the Board of Directors adopted…
Laura Begley Bloom 12/31/20
As 2020 comes to an end and people are beginning to consider traveling again, health, safety and cleanliness have become top priorities. In order to shed light on the places in America with the best—and…
By Matt Gough 12/08/20
Before 2019, not a single city in the United States had laws prohibiting the use of fossil gas in new buildings. Now, at the end of 2020, 40 cities have passed electrification ordinances across California, with many…
By Bill Gabbert 09/28/20
On Monday the Glass Fire at Santa Rosa, California grew in all directions, even as the strong winds that initially spread the fire slowed. But the high temperature and the low relative humidity combined with…
By John Lindsey 09/22/20
This condition can produce north to northeasterly katabatic, or, downslope winds. These gales can bring dry and heated air that blows across bone-dry vegetation and trees that have not seen rainfall in months, a typical…
By Luz Pena 09/20/20
"We had several dead trees in this area and they were leading up the hill," described Evans. His team cleared brush for three to four acres and removed over 200 trees. Their plan is to…
08/26/20
These electric mopeds, run by Revel, allow licensed drivers, age 21 and over to take low-cost, short trips as simple as a ride to work, the grocery store, or to an outdoor gathering with members…
By Andrew Freedman and Jason Samenow 08/19/20
A rare mix of ingredients came together in central and northern California this week to produce fast-moving, explosively growing wildfires that are so powerful they create their own weather.
By Jason Mark 07/29/20
he Carbon Barons are in trouble. Landmark lawsuits against ExxonMobil and other fossil fuel giants charging that they have caused—and lied about—the climate crisis are making real headway. Unfortunately, they’re doing so just as Big…
By Elizabeth Schroeder 07/28/20
In recent times, beef farmers around the world have increasingly come under fire from environmental organisations claiming that methane emissions from cattle pose serious consequences for the environment.
07/28/20
The Oakland City Council unanimously approved the 2030 Equitable Climate Action Plan (ECAP). The approved resolution included the Racial Equity Indicators Assessment (REIA) as a way to ensure that implementation of the ECAP’s programs and…
By Jean Tepperman 07/22/20
California should begin gradually reducing output from its oil refineries in order to avoid climate catastrophe and to make the transition to clean energy as equitable as possible. That's the conclusion of a major new…
By Ellen M. Gilmer 07/09/20
Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp., and other oil giants are calling on federal judges to rethink their recent revival of efforts to make the industry pay for the impacts of climate change.
By Ezra David Romero 04/14/20
California is in the middle of an unexpected experiment. The stay-at-home order means millions are working from home, and air quality districts report 30% fewer cars on roads in the Los Angeles area and 65%…
By Allen Schaeffer 03/04/20
Approximately six million diesel-powered work trucks today are on the job working for small businesses and governments alike. These trucks that deliver the everyday services Americans demand, are doing so with fewer emissions and a…
By Diana Leonard 03/02/20
There wasn’t a drop of rain in downtown San Francisco during the month of February, something that hasn’t happened since 1864. Across Northern California, many sites also recorded zero precipitation for the first time on…
By Donna Kimura 02/26/20
The rehabilitation of a 195-unit affordable senior housing community is getting a big boost from Wells Fargo and Fannie Mae.
By Mark Olalde 02/05/20
Local governments are alleging that oil companies knew about the consequences of climate change decades ago, that they lied to the public, and that they should pay for mitigation efforts like seawalls as a result.…
By Cirrus Wood 01/21/20
Oaklanders Sara Heady and Vanessa Pope wanted to do something for the environment but at a larger scale than just sorting their own recycling and carrying a canvas shopping tote.
By Michael Méndez 01/11/20
Motivated by their success in creating a more equitable Oakland climate action plan, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and the Asian Pacific Environmental Network together sought new strategies to further their local work.…
By Rick Maese 10/16/19
The infield is made of asphalt right now. So are the dugouts, the outfield and the stands. Someday this might be home to a baseball stadium, but today Howard Terminal is little more than a…
By Nancy Skinner 08/08/19
Here in the Bay Area, we pride ourselves on being environmental trailblazers. Our achievements include pioneering curbside recycling, prohibiting the use of ozone-depleting Styrofoam, and leading the effort to ban plastic bags, straws, and utensils.
By Travis Hoium 07/22/19
Energy storage has always been a natural complement to solar energy systems, but the two never seem to find a successful way to work together in practice. Tesla's (NASDAQ:TSLA) Powerwall was supposed to be a…
By Adele Peters 07/20/19
When the demand for electricity surges in Oakland, California, a power plant burning jet fuel switches on, pumping pollution into the western part of the city. But the plant will soon close—and will be replaced…
By Melanie Curry 07/11/19
As rankings go, this sounds good. The Bay Area cities of San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward scored the highest in the U.S. on achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals [PDF]. These are goals that the 193 member…
By Julian Spector 06/26/19
ack London Square reminds a visitor of Oakland's nautical roots. Seagulls squawk, ships bob in the harbor, commuters rush out of cars or wheel their bikes to the ferry terminal to embark across the San…
By Subin DeVar 03/25/19
The 7 kW installation is a culmination of the cooperative’s work to develop a model for solar development that focuses on building community wealth and fostering long-term community ownership.
