On Saturday, March 22, Menlo Park held its annual priority setting meeting. In an online survey preceding the meeting, respondents were asked if climate action (and other priorities from last year) should continue to be prioritized. A few responded negatively. Some stated climate change is a hoax and addressing it is a waste of time, effort and money. One commenter even alleged it’s a money laundering scheme. Others said it’s a global issue and way too big for little Menlo Park to do anything about it.
If I could talk with those folks, I’d say to them, “I get it.” The climate crisis is a massive issue — too big for Menlo Park to tackle on its own. But we are all in this together. While the world and Menlo Park are making encouraging progress, we still have a long way to go and a short amount of time to get there. So, I think climate action should be a priority for Menlo Park (and all other cities), especially in light of the current federal administration’s shocking rollbacks of countless environmental protections. We can make a difference locally. And in the process, we will have better local air quality which improves and saves lives. We, as individuals, did not cause climate change – that burden falls primarily on the burning of fossil fuels. And the fossil fuel industry, having known the ill effects of their product for decades, has exacerbated the issue with their tactics of denial, doubt, and delay – not to mention their additional role in and promotion of the increased production of plastics. The way our food is produced and wasted is a significant contributor as well. There are, of course, other factors too.
When it comes to global warming, every fraction of a degree of warming prevented is a reduction of suffering. It could be the difference between a small island nation surviving versus being submerged and its people displaced. It could be one less extreme heatwave that takes a grandmother before her time. It could be the survival of a key species that preserves an critical ecosystem. So, let’s continue to fight for that fraction of a degree.
The City should not only prioritize climate action but, more importantly, put in place the policies, programs and funding necessary to make progress. Here in Menlo Park, the City can enact impactful and fair building codes this year that make our buildings safer, healthier, more efficient, and cleaner. The City should increase outreach and partner with community-based organizations to help educate our residents and businesses on ways we can make a difference with the appliances we use in our homes and offices, the way we get from one place to another, the food we eat and waste, and the clothes we wear.
Now is the time to do something more substantial, and to bring the community together at the same time. The City should enable the formation of a new community task force composed of a variety of stakeholders such as City leaders, business owners, homeowners, renters, landlords, developers, contractors, and environmental groups to come together and collaborate in order to develop a workplan to achieve the goals of Menlo Park’s Climate Action Plan. Additionally, the City should continue to pursue opportunities to build dense affordable all-electric housing in amenity-rich locations near public transit (like, I don’t know, downtown). And the City must continue to help residents in Belle Haven transition to cleaner equipment, increase the urban tree canopy, and adapt to sea level rise and the many other detrimental effects of a warming planet.
Ultimately and thankfully, the City did elect to again prioritize climate action — moreover we all must organize, mobilize, and realize that Menlo Park can make a difference. It is our obligation to our neighbors, our children, future generations, and small island nations to do all that we can. The changes we demonstrate as a City and individuals can embolden and inspire others to do the same — that is the multiplier effect making our efforts even more impactful. We must never give up this fight for a healthier planet that will sustain us for generations to come – there is too much beauty in this world to lose to do otherwise.
John McKenna
Menlo Park