DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR PUBLIC TO COMMENT ON CARBON EMISSIONS PLAN

San Diego County residents have until the end of the month to weigh in on an ambitious effort to dramatically reduce the region’s carbon emissions, as scientists paint an increasingly bleak picture of what a warming planet could look like.

The Regional Decarbonization Framework proposes several changes, including expanding solar power, to ensure the county does not create more carbon than it captures. Officials hope that goal, known as “net carbon zero,” can be reached by 2045.

A revised version of the proposal is available online. Residents can offer comments, ask questions and submit ideas until May 31.

“This is a unique moment in time when there is state and federal funding available for large-scale programs,” Murtaza Baxamusa, the county’s program manager for regional sustainability, said Tuesday at a public meeting in Lemon Grove. “We want to bring people to the table so that we can come up solutions.”

California has a budget surplus of about $68 billion, and the Biden administration has pledged aggressive investments into fighting climate change.

One key decision for East County will be whether to build wind and solar farms on undeveloped land. While the projects could generate considerable energy, they could also damage habitats and farms, officials have said.

The framework includes multiple reports, covering everything from how to prepare workers for green energy jobs to how the county can increase electric vehicles.

“We’re a little city ... that probably is one of the ones that isn’t doing enough,” Lemon Grove Councilmember George Gastil said during Tuesday’s presentation. He and his colleagues asked Baxamusa for specific direction on what to do.

Baxamusa said his goal wasn’t to tell cities what to do, but to present a set of options and push leaders to hash out solutions. Climate change will likely affect budgets, and spending money on the problem now could head off future expenses, he said.

The Board of Supervisors will likely vote on the final proposal in August.

Residents can visit “engage.sandiegocounty.gov/ rdf” to review the reports.