SMC Continues Commitment to Combat Climate Crisis
The Woolsey Fire as seen from Las Virgenes Rd in Calabasas, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. California wildfires have exploded in recent years, in part due to the effects of rising temperatures from greenhouse gas emissions. The Camp Fire in Northern California started the same day, which resulted in 85 deaths and over $16 billion in damages, making it the most financially expensive natural disaster in the world that year. (Maxim Elramsisy / The Corsair)
Santa Monica College (SMC) recently joined over 1,500 schools, organizations, and local governments across America, in reaffirming its commitment to tackling the climate crisis alongside the incoming Biden-Harris administration.
“We call on the incoming administration and other federal policymakers to join us in a national response to ensure our safety and prosperity by taking immediate action [in addressing the climate crisis],” 'America Is All In' states on their website. The objectives of the 2017 'We Are Still In' initiative are intended to keep the focus on climate policy action. The central tenets include sustainable economic growth, equitable climate solutions, and expanded American leadership both at home and aboard.
“We have continued to uphold our commitment to combat climate change in the face of a progressively dismal scientific outlook,” said SMC President and Superintendent Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery. “In 2018, and again now in 2020, I have reaffirmed the college’s commitment to doing everything possible to work towards the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. We look forward to safeguarding the future of our planet while creating jobs and helping address systemic inequities.”
The Paris Climate Accord, officially known as the Paris Agreement, is an international agreement between nearly every nation on Earth to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address the threat of climate change. It was signed in Paris, France, during the 2015 United Nations Climate Conference. Of the 197 countries to adopt the plan, 189 have since officially joined on.
“The Paris Climate Agreement is a voluntary commitment by countries around the world to decarbonize their economies by 2050, in a bid to limit the warming of the planet to below 2 degrees Celsius, and to aim for as close to 1.5 degrees as possible,” said Ferris Kawar, SMC’s Sustainability Manager. “Moving from an economy almost entirely based on 100 years of fossil fuels is daunting and scary for many politicians, bankers, investors, and business people. However, in my experience, once a bold goal has been set...institutions are usually surprised at how quickly they can meet it and find that there are many benefits they didn’t expect.”
Kawar pointed to California’s own recent history, stating, “Case in point, the state of California committed to 33% renewable energy by 2020. They achieved 36% and realized that one of the reasons they bounced back from the 2008 crash was because of jobs in the energy efficiency and clean energy sectors.” He also highlighted local changes here in Santa Monica, saying, “[I]n 2019, when Santa Monica residents were given the choice, 95% opted for 100% clean electricity. The premium a single-family home had to pay was about $9 per month. This just shows that it’s achievable and it won’t break the bank.”
The Trump administration officially withdrew from the Paris Agreement on Nov. 4 of last year, making the United States the first country to pull out of the international treaty. The former president announced the decision in June of 2017, fulfilling one of his core campaign promises. Rules built into the agreement required a waiting period of over three years between America's announcement and actual withdrawal. The prior administration also rolled back numerous federal environmental regulations, including power plant pollution limits, vehicle emission standards, and rules mandating how energy companies clean up the toxic waste they produce.
President Joe Biden has promised to enact significant changes to America’s environmental policy over the next four years, calling the climate crisis the “existential threat of our time." His climate agenda includes creating a path towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, holding corporate polluters legally accountable, and investing heavily in climate research and clean energy technology.
Biden named former Secretary of State John Kerry as the special presidential envoy on climate change, creating a new cabinet position specifically to deal with climate policy. Following through on his campaign promise, the freshly inaugurated president rejoined the Paris Agreement within hours of taking office.
SMC has long been on the frontlines of climate action. “As an institution, we are responsible for continually reducing our environmental footprint and raising that bar every year. As individuals, employees, and students, we need to also take personal responsibility for the choices we make every day which impact our world,” said Kawar. “[I]n 2008, SMC...signed a commitment to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2050...In 2020 [signing onto the 'America Is All In' pledge] was a call to the incoming administration to make climate a top priority.”
SMC’s Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution on October 6, 2020, that urged Congress to approve House Resolution 763, otherwise known as the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2019. If passed, H.R.763 would impose a fee on the carbon content of fossil fuels at the point of extraction, thereby encouraging energy producers to find cleaner forms of technology and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
SMC offers Associate's Degree programs in Environmental Science and Environmental Studies, as well as certifications in Solar, Energy Efficiency, Recycling, and Sustainability. Student who are interested in climate policy and education can also partake in Sustainability Workshops, which are held each spring and fall, with more than 50 SMC professors offering extra credit for participation. Eco-clubs are also available for students to join including Club Grow, Eco Action Club, Plastic Free SMC, and SMC Bike Club.
Skippy Goodtwin is among those who began their climate policy path at SMC. “I joined the [Energy Policy and Climate] program at Johns Hopkins because of taking political science 31 [Introduction to Public Policy at SMC],” said Goodtwin. “We had to present a research paper on L.A. and it’s water policy, and try to find some solutions. The professor was a [John Hopkins University] alumnus who impressed me with his experience and knowledge. By this time I’d also met Ferris Kawar and other passionate students and professors interested in the intersection of food, environment, and policy.”
As to her thoughts on how those in the SMC community can get involved, Goodtwin said, “I think the first step for being involved is starting here at the local level. Find something here in your community that inspires you and I’ve found it leads to other opportunities. Volunteer with an organization. My personal favorite is Food Forward,” a non-profit that fights hunger and prevents food waste by using surplus produce to feed people suffering from food insecurity across Southern California.
Goodtwin continued, “It’s my hope as we all find something we can do here, we can scale that up to other communities and the nation. [And] ultimately the globe, because pollution doesn’t stop at individual borders.”
Those in the SMC community will be closely watching how the Biden administration deals with the plethora of environmental crises affecting individuals and communities across the country.
