The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District Board of Directors has adopted its first-ever climate emergency resolution. The resolution serves as the district’s statement of principles regarding the causes and impacts of global climate change and as a commitment to continue expanding, wherever feasible, the district’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and plan for a resilient future.
“The effects of climate change here in the Bay Area and across the globe are real, and urgent action is needed to address our climate crisis,” said Board President Barbara Pahre. “I’m proud that our agency is committed to doing its part to address climate change head-on.”
The district has a sustained record of implementing climate-friendly practices and programs. For years, the district has been active in emissions reduction programs across its bus, bridge and ferry divisions and has pioneered efforts as an early adopter and active partner of zero emissions and renewable fuel programs.
“Bay Area residents and visitors rely on us to travel between the North Bay and San Francisco, and we take seriously our responsibility to provide sustainable transportation options that reduce our climate impact,” said Denis Mulligan, Golden Gate’s general manager. “This resolution serves as our continued commitment to providing high-quality, reliable and climate-friendly transportation for Bay Area residents while continuing to evaluate ways to reduce emissions and human-induced global warming in our ongoing operations.”
The resolution makes the district one of the first Bay Area transportation agencies to adopt such a policy and aligns the agency with many Bay Area cities and counties that have adopted similar resolutions. Below are a few of the most notable statements in the resolution that was adopted:
WHEREAS, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (District)
seeks to improve, enhance, and preserve the environment by providing high quality, reliable and sustainable transportation for Bay Area residents that encourages bicycling, walking and transit as opposed to single-occupant vehicle usage in the Golden Gate corridor.
The District agrees with the consensus among climate scientists that the climate crisis is happening now.
A recent state report, Rising Seas in California, projects a conservative estimate of between 1 and 3 .4 feet of sea level rise in the San Francisco Bay by 2100. The range of projections in the state report includes the possibility of up to 10 feet of sea level rise in the San Francisco Bay by 2100, a scenario consistent with rapid Antarctic ice sheet mass loss that would be catastrophic to the Bay Area and every other coastal community.
RESOLVED that the District declares that a climate emergency threatens our cities,
region, state, nation, civilization, humanity and the natural world; and, that the District commits to a just transition and urgent effort to mitigate global warming, which, with appropriate financial and regulatory assistance from local, regional, State and Federal authorities, reduces greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible towards zero net emissions.
The District commits to the continued evaluation and assessment of initiatives that reduce emissions and expand sustainable transportation options between San Francisco and the North Bay, including the following initiatives, as feasible: Transitioning to zero-emission buses and maintenance vehicle fleets, operating renewable-fuel ferries, including an assessment of zero-emission ferries when technology and reliability allows, incentivizing increased average occupancy of the vehicles crossing the Bridge, as well as enhanced carbon-neutral mobility devices, including bicycle access across the Golden Gate Bridge.
The District will continue working with cities across the Bay Area, regional agencies, state agencies, federal agencies and community stakeholders to develop policies that take into account historically underserved communities, low-income communities, workers and jobs in order to ensure a just transition to a clean energy economy for all people and communities.
