What Makes San Diego's Climate Plan Different From All the Others

"[The San Diego] city council votes Tuesday on a plan that would cut the city’s greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2035. It would also commit the city to using 100 percent clean energy by 2035," reports Andrew Keatts. The plan is expected to pass overwhelmingly, if not unanimously.

San Diego's ambitious climate plan is part of a movement spearheaded by the Sierra Club "to encourage 100 cities to commit to using 100 percent renewable energy in order to decrease their contribute to global climate change."

San Diego's plan differs from the goals of cities like San Jose, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Boston in one, very important way, according to Keats: "it's legally enforceable." The emissions reduction target of 50 percent by 2035 is a requirement, "and the stakes are high: the city could open itself to a lawsuit if it doesn’t deliver."