Climate Change Planning and Policy

Climate change affects us all. The City of Cotati is striving to combat climate change by reducing our community's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We are also working to make our community better prepared to face the impacts of climate change.  This commitment is reflected in our guiding plans and policies.

Sustainable resource use and environmental protection are woven through the City's General Plan, a blueprint for provision of City services and managed growth, adopted in 2015. Reduction of air pollutants and greenhouse gases is identified as a key goal of the Plan, along with many other goals related to conservation, community health and wellness, land use, circulation, and open space. 

The City participated in the countywide Climate Action 2020 and Beyond Plan, completed in 2016, a regional roadmap to identify actions to reduce GHGs and adapt to a changing climate. A collaborative effort by all nine cities and the County of Sonoma, Climate Action 2020 sets forth an a to-do list of specific measures that can be taken by local governments, regional agencies, community groups, residents, and businesses. Read the Cotati section of the plan here. 

In 2019, the Cotati City Council adopted a Climate Emergency Resolution, recognizing the potential dangers climate change poses to our local communities, as well as the destruction it has already caused (most notably, Northern California's catastrophic wildfires in 2017 as well as extended years-long periods of drought). 

In July 2021, Cotati sent a letter to the State Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom strongly encouraging accelerated action to combat climate change on a statewide level. This letter emphasizes the importance of a hastened transition to renewable energy sources, providing job opportunities in the renewable energy sector, and more. 

Cotati's History of Climate Protection Measures describes some of the City's policy-level actions related to climate change and the environment over the past 20+ years.