The Climate Emergency is Local

The air we breathe, the water we drink, the weather bearing down on our communities—climate pollution touches almost every part of life on Earth, and it’s why 350 Contra Costa Action is launching our Community Climate Forums.

The greenhouse gases (GHG) we’ve put into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels are causing rising temperatures worldwide, the extinction of plants and animals, rising sea levels, and severe, erratic weather events.

Closer to home, air pollution from oil drilling and refining, car and truck exhaust, and residential and commercial buildings heated and cooled with methane gas contributes to climate change. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), it also affects our health by reducing lung function, causing asthma, and leading to cardiac problems.

We’re in a climate emergency now. But if we work together as a community, we can secure a sustainable, healthy life on this planet for our children and grandchildren—an abundant, green energy future with clean air and water, healthy forests and oceans.

Fast-moving technology is producing better and cheaper ways to replace fossil fuels with energy from the sun, the wind, and geothermal wells. As of 2024, renewable energy accounts for more than 41 percent of California’s electricity—up from 37 percent just a year earlier—a pace of change that would have seemed impossible not long ago.

You Can Help Shape Our Clean Energy Future

Help speed the transition to green energy! Join our Community Climate Forums, building on the 2025 Climate Circle discussions, to learn what you can do locally and statewide to move more quickly into a clean energy future. We meet every other month via Zoom. In each hour-long session, you will:

• Learn about a current 350 Contra Costa Action campaign from team leaders
• Ask questions and discuss concerns
• Take actions to improve air quality and health in your community and state

It’s a time-effective way to make a difference on important, climate-related issues. Here’s what we’ll be covering in our first four sessions.

Health,  Air Pollution & Our Homes

April 16, 5-6 PM

At our first Community Climate Forum, we explored how pollution from buildings affects public health in the Bay Area, why reducing it matters for our communities, and how cleaner technologies like electric heat pumps can help create healthier homes.

We also discussed the Bay Area Air District’s (BAAD) upcoming standards implementation that will begin phasing in cleaner replacements for gas appliances as they reach the end of their life:

• Gas Water heaters phaseout begins in 2027
• Gas Furnaces phaseout begins in 2029

These rules are currently scheduled for review at the next BAAD board meeting on May 6, 2026. Community voices will play an important role in ensuring they remain strong while serving all households well. See Protect Clean Air in the Bay Area to learn how you can help ensure strong standards stay in place while protecting low-income families impacted by the rule changes.