On July 24th, 2024, I attended the first community meeting for the Napa County Regional Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (RCAAP) in Yountville. As one of my first experiences with climate politics on a local level, this meeting went really well. It was full of great ideas, and amazing community discussion and cooperation.

My Personal Takeaway, as a student

I was one of the only young adults at the meeting, so I was a little worried that I would be overwhelmed or lose track of the topic, as I am relatively new to our local climate politics. However, this meeting went really well for me. I enjoyed the presentation and learned so much from the adults who have experience in climate action. The meeting was very fun and engaging, and my fellow attendees were very friendly and welcoming. I got to meet some amazing folks in the community, like Napa RCD director Frances Knapczyk, Napa Schools for Climate Action advisor Jim Wilson, and Chris Benz, the founder of Napa Climate Now. I am glad that I was able to help discuss and contribute ideas, and I felt like my voice was truly heard. Overall, I am optimistic in the Napa County RCAAP; it seems like a strong plan for adaptation and GHG mitigation.

We began with a slideshow presentation on climate change. It covered the basic facts about the climate crisis, and discussed the impacts of climate change on Napa County. They explained the process of establishing adaptation or mitigation methods, and implementing it. Then, they gave statistics on Napa County’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and finally, they described potential solutions.

Then, we broke into groups and had discussions about Napa County’s environmental vulnerabilities and strengths. We considered infrastructural, societal and environmental issues, and brainstormed potential solutions. It was a very important meeting, so below, I will break down the most important points.

Basics

The RCAAP acts like a roadmap for identifying and implementing policies to reduce GHG emissions in Napa County, as well as helping the county adapt to climate change. Napa County, as well as the cities of Napa, American Canyon, Calistoga, St. Helena, and  the town Yountville are all involved. The plan focuses on mitigation, which includes preventative measures to reduce GHG emissions, and adaptation, which addresses the harmful effects of climate change rather than the cause of it. The project is currently in the public meetings/draft preparations/survey collections stage, but the RCAAP is planned to be drafted in November or December and finalized in early 2025.

Climate Change in Napa

Some of the effects of climate change in Napa have been extreme heat, droughts, wildfire risk, heavy rainfall, and strain on the infrastructure and energy grid. There have been multiple natural disasters in recent years, such as the 2017 Atlas Peak fires, 2019 flooding, and the 2021 drought, as well as the current heat. In order to create an adaptation plan, it is first required to define the effects of climate change, assess vulnerability, create strategies, implement them, and adjust as needed (the presentation did not really discuss specific adaptation methods).

Napa’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Statistically, Napa County emitted 1.2 million metric tons CO₂ equivalent in 2019 (this does not take into account particles like black carbon). Out of this, 39% came from on-road transportations, 23% from building energy, 16% from solid waste (landfills, etc), and the rest came from agriculture, off-road equipment (like tractors), wastewater and imported water. The City of Napa emits the most, followed by the Unincorporated County and then American Canyon.

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Plans

In terms of GHG Mitigation, the RCAAP focuses on four main categories: building energy, Transportation, water and solid Waste, and agriculture and open space. Here are the strategies for each:

• building energy- this includes building decarbonization, improving energy efficiency, on-site renewable energy generation, and education to raise awareness on energy usage and sustainability.
• transportation- this includes expanding public transit and active transportation (walking/biking) options, finding ways to reduce vehicle use, improving EV infrastructure, and electrifying landscape and construction equipment.
• water and solid waste- this includes developing water rebate programs, conducting water audits and providing tiered water rates, increasing composting, promoting waste education, and implementing efforts for reusable food ware at restaurants
• agriculture and open space- this includes reforesting burned areas, electrifying agricultural equipment, using electric or biofuel-powered irrigation pumps, increasing sustainable livestock practices and carbon farming, and improving soil health

Takeaways

The RCAAP is a solid plan to help Napa County reduce their GHG emissions and adapt to climate change. One thing to note, though, is that the RCAAP has no jurisdiction over the implementation of climate policies; it only serves as framework. So, it will take some effort for the county to implement the solutions offered in the RCAAP, but it is doable.

All the information in this article was taken from this presentation. The RCAAP team requested that we share it with others and spread the word: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ynosbkOfao25nU3I4mbSdqJatMuWmcvs/view?usp=sharing