L.A.’s Sustainable City pLAn and Green New Deal - Then and Now:
In 2015, our landmark Sustainable City pLAn laid out a time-bound pathway to create a sustainable L.A. and became our blueprint for action to combat climate change — and a global model for local leadership in the face of the climate crisis. Our success in the past — achieving or exceeding 90% of the pLAn’s 2017 objectives alone — has laid the groundwork for progress in the future, and our City is prepared to take immediate, visionary, strong action to build on our record with our updated pLAn: L.A.’s Green New Deal.
Why should L.A. have a Green New Deal?
Four years after our original pLAn, climate change is only proving more devastating to our communities — historic droughts and flooding, power outages during heat waves, wildfires, and worsening pollution are wreaking havoc and disproportionately impacting low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.
Los Angeles must show cities around the world what it means to uphold the Paris Climate Agreement. We must prioritize disadvantaged communities. We must equip our city with the diverse, skilled workforce needed to meet the scale and scope of the climate crisis. And we must lead at the municipal level at every turn.
What is L.A.’s Green New Deal?
L.A.’s Green New Deal is a framework for securing clean air and water, improving climate and community resiliency, expanding access to healthy food and open space, and promoting justice for all. It is an expanded vision for our 2015 pLAn — focused on improving the quality of life for our residents, reaching carbon neutrality, and building the city we want for our children and grandchildren.
What’s new in L.A.’s Green New Deal?
To ensure our Green New Deal reflected the most current viewpoints, priorities, and needs of the L.A. community and the Paris Climate Agreement, we solicited extensive input from stakeholders, such as community organizations, businesses, academia, labor groups, City departments, and other global megacities in C40’s Deadline 2020 pilot program.
The updated Green New Deal reflects that input, all captured in 13 chapters, 47 long-term targets, 140 near-term and interim milestones, and 455 initiatives. We have also included 47 partner initiatives that showcase the work already being done by organizations on the ground that align with the pLAn to reflect the critical role of Angelenos in meeting and setting these ambitious new goals.