{"id":7707,"date":"2017-01-31T09:16:50","date_gmt":"2017-01-31T17:16:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calcanstaging.kinsta.cloud\/?p=7707"},"modified":"2017-01-31T09:16:50","modified_gmt":"2017-01-31T17:16:50","slug":"states-climate-plan-forwards-agricultural-strategies-but-more-ambitious-goals-actions-needed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calclimateag.org\/es\/states-climate-plan-forwards-agricultural-strategies-but-more-ambitious-goals-actions-needed\/","title":{"rendered":"El Plan Clim\u00e1tico del Estado avanza estrategias agr\u00edcolas, pero se necesitan objetivos y medidas m\u00e1s ambiciosos"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Last year, California adopted ambitious greenhouse gas emission reductions targets, seeking to cut emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. That reduction is roughly equivalent to cutting per capita emissions in half by the year 2030. To get there, the state is developing a Scoping Plan that lays out how the reductions can be achieved through renewable energy development, energy efficiency measures, low carbon transportation and other strategies, including \u201cclimate smart agriculture.\u201d<\/p>\n

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) released for public comment its most recent update to the state\u2019s Climate Change Scoping Plan last week.<\/p>\n

We have come a long way since the 2008 Scoping Plan when agricultural solutions to climate change were largely ignored. We were pleased to see in the current draft Plan that agriculture has gained further recognition for the solutions it may offer in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, generating renewable energy and sequestering carbon in soils and woody biomass.<\/p>\n

But more can be done. We would like to see the Plan identify more specific and ambitious goals for the agricultural sector, given the urgency of the climate crisis, the well-established science behind many working lands climate strategies, and the multiple economic, environmental, and social benefits of those strategies.<\/p>\n

CalCAN has been advocating for a greater focus on the agricultural sector since the initial Scoping Plan was released in 2008. The Plan now includes a specific section dedicated to natural and working lands, including agricultural lands, among the key sectors the Plan addresses. The Plan also takes an integrated systems approach \u2013 a positive development \u2013 and thus highlights natural and working lands\u2019 relationships with other sectors such as water, waste management, and energy throughout the document.<\/p>\n

The plan still lacks specific actions. Importantly, the draft also drops mention of organic agriculture as part of the suite of climate solutions, despite organic agriculture\u2019s inclusion in the 2014 Scoping Plan Update<\/a>. The plan also does not adequately address research or technical assistance needs to support agricultural strategies to address climate change. This is even more pressing as we face likely federal budget cuts to climate change and agriculture research and agricultural technical assistance.<\/p>\n

Governor Brown recently called for courage, creativity and boldness when it comes to our work on climate change \u2013 the existential threat of our time. We agree and call on CARB and sister agencies to dig deeper when considering agricultural solutions to climate change.<\/p>\n

Below, we provide highlights on the Scoping Plan strategies for agriculture.\u00a0 You can find the complete list aqu\u00ed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Protecting Natural and Working Lands<\/strong><\/p>\n