FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2021
Contact: Donald Lathbury donald@nextgeneration.org, 510-499-4133
Oakland City Council Unanimously Passes 100% Zero Emission Vehicle Resolution, Largest California City Supporting to Date
OAKLAND, CA – Building on statewide momentum to urge California to adopt a goal of 100% Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) sales by 2030, the Oakland City Council yesterday unanimously passed a resolution in support of the ZEV2030 standard.
Oakland’s resolution comes on the heels of similar resolutions passed in Berkeley, Culver City, and Richmond, representing the largest city to take such ambitious action to date. The resolution is part of a growing campaign organized by ZEV2030 to build support across California to urge state leaders to consider all available means to adopt the 100% ZEV standard by 2030. Inspired by goals established by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it’s the kind of visionary action that would protect our state, nation, and world from catastrophic climate change while improving the economy and public health.
Leading up to the Oakland vote, Professor Daniel Kammen, Chair of the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) at UC Berkeley, sent a letter to the Oakland City Council urging passage of the resolution. Kammen has been a Coordinating Lead Author for the IPCC, which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, and was appointed byPresident Barack Obama to serve as Science Envoy for Secretary of State John Kerry.
Professor Kammen wrote: “Moving California to net-negative greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by 2035 requires us to aggressively focus on the transportation sector, which generates over half of our state’s GHG emissions. Setting a 2030 goal for 100 percent zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) is a crucial component of this change. In fact, at UC Berkeley’s Renewable & Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL), we have concluded that a phase out of new combustions vehicles sales in advance of 2030 is economically feasible.”
“We know that the transportation sector represents 40% of our state's greenhouse gas emissions. We can’t possibly meet this moment in the climate crisis without urgent action in adopting a clean car standard,” said Councilmember Dan Kalb, the author of the resolution. “I’m grateful to my colleagues for their unanimous support of the 100% ZEV 2030 standard. Once again, Oakland leads the way.”
In the coming months, Oakland will consider its own citywide 100% Zero Emission Vehicle plan.
The ambitious goal of California's ZEV 2030 movement is being bolstered by unprecedented actions being taken across the country. The State of Washington's legislature just passed a landmark ZEV 2030 standard called Clean Cars 2030. Joe Biden's American Jobs Plan is expected to include historic investments in electric vehicle manufacturing, purchase, and infrastructure. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has called for the phase out of internal combustion engines by 2030. And Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed mandating all new cars sold in California to be zero-emission by 2035, a goal ZEV2030 hopes to accelerate.
For more information on the ZEV2030 campaign, please visit https://www.zev2030.org. To schedule an interview with Councilmember Kalb, Professor Kammen, or the team behind ZEV2030, please email Donald Lathbury at donald@nextgeneration.org.
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