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Encinitas staff unveils draft 2025 Climate Action Plan, aims for 2030 and 2045 emission cuts
Summary
City sustainability staff presented a draft update to Encinitas' Climate Action Plan that uses 2016 as a baseline and sets targets of 40% reduction by 2030 and 85% by 2045 if proposed measures are implemented.
Ryan Lampkin, the city’s sustainability analyst, presented the draft 2025 Climate Action Plan update to the Public Health and Safety Commission, saying the plan uses 2016 as the baseline year and lays out targets to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 2016 levels by 2030 and 85% by 2045.
The plan, Lampkin told commissioners, includes an emissions inventory, a forecast that accounts for federal and state reductions, and a menu of measures the city could adopt to close the remaining emissions gap. “My name is Ryan Lampkin. I’m the city’s sustainability analyst, and I’m excited to present the draft Climate Action Plan update to you all,” Lampkin said at the start of his presentation.
Lampkin said the 2016 baseline shows Encinitas emitted about 381,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent and identified on-road transportation as the largest source. Staff and the project consultant modeled a “business-as-usual” forecast and overlaid state and federal policy-driven reductions; the plan then attributes the remaining gray area on the chart to local measures the city would need to implement to meet the 2030 and 2045 goals.
The draft organizes local work into seven high-level strategies—building decarbonization, renewable and zero‑emission electricity, water efficiency, clean and efficient transportation, zero‑emission equipment, zero waste, and carbon sequestration—and 32 quantified emission‑reduction measures. Lampkin said, if fully implemented and if each measure realized its modeled reduction potential, the city could reach the draft’s 2030 and 2045 targets.
The draft also incorporates a Climate Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Framework developed for the city’s 2023 safety element update and uses the CAL‑ADAPT tool. Lampkin summarized projections from that assessment including a projected increase in average annual temperature of roughly 4.3–7.3°F by the end of the century, more extreme heat days, higher wildfire risk (he noted about 35% of Encinitas lies in a very‑high fire hazard severity zone), storm‑driven flooding and landslide/liquefaction concerns, and a mid‑century sea‑level‑rise probability estimate cited in the vulnerability assessment.
Commissioners pressed staff on priorities, implementation and sequencing. Commissioner Selden emphasized wildfire prevention as central to local climate resilience. Lampkin said the plan’s carbon‑sequestration measures can be tailored by risk zone—for example, using LiDAR tree‑canopy analysis to set different goals for high wildfire‑risk neighborhoods. Commissioners also asked whether the seven strategies were ordered by impact; Lampkin replied the list was not ranked by impact but reflected how the consultant organized measures.
On buildings and development, Lampkin pointed to measures addressing energy efficiency and gas‑free new construction (BD1–BD4), requirements for EV charging and EV‑ready residential infrastructure (CET6–CET7), pre‑plumbing for graywater in single‑family homes (WE2), and enforcement of landscape tree requirements (CS2). He said many measures build on existing codes and could be expanded.
Lampkin outlined next steps: an implementation cost analysis (expected before the final CAP is adopted), a public comment period open through April 11, a final public workshop April 8, city council consideration of the draft on April 16, and the environmental clearance and final CAP adoption anticipated through late May. He said staff planned to return a final draft to the commission and then to City Council for adoption.
The presentation materials and the draft plan are posted on the city website for public review, Lampkin said. Commissioners and members of the public will have opportunities to submit comments during the posted public‑comment window and at upcoming workshops and hearings.
Lampkin’s presentation and the draft plan focused on the quantified measures that would be needed to meet the state‑aligned targets; the commission’s discussion highlighted wildfire risk, implementation sequencing, coordination with other departments and the need for clearer analysis of budget and staffing to carry out the measures.
