Path to 100% Renewable Energy: The Los Angeles Model

Los Angeles offers a blueprint for 100% clean, renewable energy, but can it ensure technical and climate efforts elevate community demands? EcoJustice Radio talks with two advocates inside and out of city government at how Los Angeles is moving toward 100 percent renewable.

Support EcoJustice Radio with a Tax-Deductible Donation

Subscribe to EcoJustice Radio: Apple Podcasts | SoundCloud | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube | Links

Los Angeles Looks Forward to 100% Renewable

Can a major metropolitan city offer the blueprint for 100% clean, renewable energy portfolio, all the while ensuring that their climate efforts elevate community demands? Are the solutions affordable to all and ensure worker justice and well-paying jobs?

STORY: No Drilling Where We’re Living with Martha Arguello

How do we define 100% renewable energy? This would include a city ran completely off wind, solar, geothermal, and energy storage. Thus, we would no longer be relying on coal, natural gas, nuclear, biomass, and carbon offsets.

The City of Los Angeles recently released the LA 100 Study asserting that a city of almost 4 million residents can achieve the goal of 100% renewable energy  by year 2045—or even 2035.

According to a recent study published in the journal Environmental Research, exposure to particulate matter from the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil made up 18% of global deaths in 2018 — totaling 8.7 million or 1 in 5 deaths.

STORY: Los Angeles Steps Up Transition Toward 100% Renewable Energy

The City of Los Angeles, along with many other municipalities across the globe, have declared a climate emergency. In response, Los Angeles created the first ever Climate Emergency Mobilization Office; guided by the principles of environmental justice, it is tasked with engaging the voices of frontline and Indigenous communities to implement equitable and just climate policies.

Can the climate efforts of the City of Los Angeles offer the blueprint for transitioning energy sectors all around the globe to 100% clean renewable energy, while elevating community demands? Are the solutions affordable to all and ensure worker justice and well paying jobs?

Listen to our discussion on achieving the Los Angeles goal of 100% renewable energy by the year 2045 (or even 2035) and starting the first ever Climate Emergency Mobilization office.

Jasmin Vargas, Senior Organizer for Food and Water Watch is a climate justice organizer born and raised in Los Angeles. For ten years Jasmin has been organizing with communities to build a climate justice movement. Past organizing campaigns include the Beyond Coal campaign, Our Power Richmond, and Repower LA focusing on the nexus between labor rights and the environment.

Andy Shrader, Director of Environmental Affairs for Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz, has been integrally involved in the Councilmember’s efforts to ban plastic bags; move the City beyond coal power; close down the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station; initiate the City’s groundbreaking biodiversity effort; retire three coastal natural gas power plants; and launch the creation of the world’s first Climate Emergency Mobilization Office.

Jessica Aldridge, co-host of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She has worked for 15 years as a Zero Waste professional, a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and is a recipient of the inaugural Waste Expo 40 Under 40 award.

More Info: https://www.nrel.gov/analysis/los-angeles-100-percent-renewable-study.html

Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/
Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/
Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/

Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge
Engineer: Blake Lampkin
Executive Producer: Jack Eidt
Show Created by Mark and JP Morris
Music: Javier Kadry
Episode 98
Image: Unsplash

Updated 6 June 2021