Belmont City Council
September 9, 2025

City Council Meeting
September 9, 2025
2 • Introductions & Project Overview • Baseline Conditions • Emissions Trends, Forecasts, & Targets • Adaptation Planning • Background Research & Progress To-Date • Opportunities & Challenges • Key Climate Strategies • Community Engagement • Next Steps Agenda
3 • Kathy Kleinbaum, City of Belmont – Assistant City Manager • Karen Clark, City of Belmont – Project Manager
• Jeremy Ruiz, City of Belmont – Assistant Planner
• Ryan Gardner, Rincon – Director
• Olivia Mendoza, Rincon – Project Manager
Project Team
4 • Help cities organize and find synergies across
state requirements and targets
• Identify strategies to reduce greenhouse gas
emission in key sectors
• Prepare cities for climate changes and improve
local health and safety
• Help position cities for upcoming State funding
(Prop 4: Climate Bond)
What is a Climate Action & Adaptation Plan?
5 • Mitigation (reducing greenhouse gas emissions) is based on a local inventory and forecast, identifying emissions by key sectors
• Adaptation (preparing for climate change) is based on downscaled climate models and vulnerability analysis (i.e., via the Safety Element Update) • Strategies and actions help reduce emissions and address vulnerabilities • Community engagement guides how we implement these strategies What is in a Climate Action & Adaptation Plan? (Continued) 6 • In 2017, the City of Belmont adopted its first Climate Action Plan • The City is now the plan with new data and current best practices as well as incorporating adaptation measures
• To reach the State’s 2030 target of 40% below 1990 greenhouse gas emission levels (SB32), we are... • Setting specific targets to reduce emissions
• Identifying strategies to build resilience to climate change • Establishing a policy framework to achieve the State's longer-term target of carbon neutrality by 2045 (AB 1279)
About This Project
7 Project Milestones
Project Kickoff
Background research
March 2025
Completed greenhouse gas
inventory
Completed greenhouse gas
forecasts and targets
July 2025
Start community survey
(general interests)
Community pop-ups
August 2025
Project intro to Planning
Commission and City
Council
First community workshop
September 2025
Draft potential measures
Review of draft measures by
Planning Commission and City
Council
January 2026
Start community survey
(draft measures)
Second community
workshop
February 2026
Draft Plan available to
public
June 2026
Final Plan adoption
September 2026
2023 Bas eline Conditions
On-road
Transportation
52%
Building
Natural Gas
39%
Solid Waste
4%
Off-road
Equipment
3%
Building
Electricity
1%
Wastewater
1%
Stationary
Sources
<1%
Water
<1%
8 • Transportation – Emissions from passenger cars and
commercial trucks
• Off-Road Equipment – Emissions from sources like
construction and landscaping equipment
• Building Energy Use – Emissions from electricity and natural gas used to power and heat buildings and appliances
• Solid Waste –Emissions primarily from organic material or food waste decomposing in landfill, which releases methane
• Water – Emissions from electricity used to extract, treat, and pump the water we use in our homes, businesses, and
gardens/landscaping
On-road transportation and building natural gas
account for 90%+ of Belmont’s total emissions
9 • Notable reductions
• Building electricity (95%)
• Solid waste (41%)
• On-road transportation (15%)
• Building natural gas (11%)
• The only sector with a net increase was off-road
equipment, with emissions rising 18%
• Minimal emissions reductions between 2021 and
2023
• Demonstrates reductions weren't solely due to pandemicrelated changes in behavior • Need for new strategies to continue seeing improvements Emis s ions Trends
0 20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
2005 2021 2023
GHG Emissions (MT CO2e)
Building Electricity Building Natural Gas On-road Transportation Off-road Equipment Solid Waste Wastewater
Overall, emissions in Belmont have declined
by approximately 28% from 2005 to 2023
10 • Business as Usual (BAU) Forecast
Reflects 2023 practices continuing
• Adjusted Forecast
Includes adopted State legislation
• SB 32 Mass Emissions Pathway
Illustrates State targets
Forecast and Targets
The Plan’s measures and actions will work to close the gap between the Adjusted Forecast and State targets
11 Adaptation Planning
Transportation
69%
• The Plan will integrate the parallel
General Plan Safety Element update,
building on its recommendations regarding
adaptation to the impacts of climate change
• Synergies between mitigation measures identified
in both plans will result in greater climate
resilience to: • Extreme Heat • Wildfire • Flooding • Drought • Severe Weather • Sea Level Rise 12 Background Res earch
• Measure Analysis and Success Tracking (MAST) Tool
• Reviewed progress on various City planning documents, including the 2017 Climate Action Plan • Focused on energy, transportation, sea level rise, water, waste, cross-hazard adaptation (wildfire, extreme heat, open space)
• Findings
• Climate related policies were successful when objectives were clear and tied to specific targets • Implementation challenges included:
• Grant funding limitations
• Staff capacity
• Legal barriers
• Capacity and framework to monitor ongoing programs
• Overall, targeted, well-funded, and clearly assigned actions succeed; vague or underfunded ones stalled 13 Climate Action Progres s To-Date
• 2020 Target was15% emissions reduction; achieved 28%
• Progress includes:
• City has been a member of Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) since its inception in 2016, and upgraded to their ECO100 plan, ensuring all municipal facilities are powered by 100% renewable electricity • PCE’s energy mix has improved, with beneficial impacts regionally • City implemented municipal energy efficiency improvements (e.g., LED streetlights and building retrofits) • City implemented bike lane improvement projects
• City adopted reach codes requiring electrification (on pause) and EV charging in new development • Caltrain electrification
• Rise in electric EV ownership
• However, Belmont is among many jurisdictions not tracking to meet the State’s ambitious target of 40% below 1990 levels by 2030
14 Opportunities & Challenges
• 2025 building code will ensure most new construction is all-electric • AB 130 limits local (reach) code amendments until 2031 • General uncertainty about the future and likely shortage of Federal incentives • Local and regional incentives
15 Key Climate Strategies –
Healthy & Res ilient Buildings
What needs to happen
• Leverage PCE’s carbon free electricity
• Switch from gas to electric appliances
How the City can support this
• Expand renewable electricity and battery storage
• Continue using ordinances to encourage electrification • Reduce hurdles to electrification (permitting)
• Expand access to incentives
• Provide education on benefits of electrification
• Improve electric infrastructure resilience
• Improve resilience to extreme heat, wildfire, and smoke 16 How the City can support this
• Identify key active transportation projects
• Partner with regional transportation providers
• Identify infrastructure gaps
• Increase diversity of land use types
• Improve safety of active transportation
Key Climate Strategies – Improve Mobility
What needs to happen
• Reduce single occupancy vehicle miles
traveled
17 How the City can support this
• Expand access to electric vehicle (EV) charging
• Electrify the City fleet
• Remove hurdles to infrastructure installation
• Provide education on benefits of EVs
Key Climate Strategies – Electrify Trans portation
What needs to happen
• Switch internal combustion engine cars to
electric vehicles
18 How the City can support this
• Increase organic waste diversion (SB 1383)
• Generate and procure compost (SB 1383)
• Expand the urban forest
• Apply compost within Belmont or partner with
regional working lands (RCD/County)
• Reduce wildfire risk through hazardous fuel
management
Key Climate Strategies –
Enhance Urban Ecosystems
What needs to happen
• Reduced organic waste sent to landfill
• Increased carbon sequestration
19 Initial Community Engagement
Transportation
69%
Community Pop-Ups
Visit www.Belmont.gov/ClimateAction to...
20 Community engagement • Continue online survey • First workshop (virtual) – Sept. 11, 7 p.m. • Info at www.Belmont.gov/ClimateAction Measure development • Quantify measures needed to meet targets • Determine what mix of strategies make sense for Belmont
• Gather input from community and staff
Next Steps
Belmont.gov/ClimateAction
Thank You!