Development of Irvine's Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) kicked off in late July 2021. Throughout the entire CAAP development process, there opportunities for stakeholders and residents to provide input. The City is hosting stakeholder working groups, consisting of City staff, local experts, business representatives, and environmental advocates, which will meet at key points throughout the CAAP process. There are also opportunities for the general Irvine community to get involved through public workshops and pop-up events.
For more information on upcoming events and workshops, visit the Environmental Programs Workshops and Webinars webpage.
The State of California has some of the most aggressive benchmarks in the country to reduce harmful climate emissions over the next decade. California achieved its 2020 greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reduction target ahead of schedule, while increasing the state’s economy ahead of the national average, showing that climate smart policies can be both good for the economy and environment. Currently, California’s long-term goal is to become carbon neutral by 2045. Given the acceleration of climate impacts locally and across the globe, there are calls for the state to expedite this goal and lead on the implementation of principles that make California more resilient to climate change, while creating jobs and transitioning to a clean energy economy.
A History of Environmental Leadership in Irvine
The City of Irvine has a strong history of environmental stewardship. View the timeline below to learn more.
- November 2010: Irvine voters approve Measure S, the Sustainable Community Initiative. This ordinance outlines renewable energy and environmental programs to support a sustainable community in Irvine.
- June 2020: The City completes the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, which establishes Irvine’s climate vulnerabilities and provides a coordinated strategy to reduce these impacts.
- November 2020: City Council adopts the Strategic Energy Plan, which highlights actions the City can take to reduce energy consumption in municipal operations and identify effective measures the Irvine community can implement to become energy efficient and responsibly manage energy resources.
- August 2021: City Council adopts the "Addressing Climate Change in Irvine's Environment, Values, and Energy Sources" resolution, known as the Irvine ACHIEVES resolution, to help guide the development of the City's climate plans and climate action efforts.
- January 2022: The City launches Cool Irvine, a program that empowers residents to take climate action through neighborhood education on environmental issues and Cool Block teams that pledge meaningful actions to reduce household emissions.
- April 2022: The City, in partnership with the nonprofit OC Goes Solar, launches the Solarize Irvine Program, a solar group-purchasing program which helps make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to go solar.
- October 2022: SCE begins providing all Irvine customers renewable energy through the first Community Choice Energy initiative in Orange County, an effort led by the City to give consumers clean energy choices and reduce GHG emissions.
