A climate action plan (CAP) is a comprehensive, strategic framework for planning, measuring, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and serves as a roadmap to implement climate change-related policies, programs, and projects at the local level.

CAPs generally include an inventory of existing emissions, GHG emission reduction goals or targets, analyzed and prioritized emissions reduction actions, and an implementation strategy that identifies required resources and funding mechanisms.

CAPs are important tools for making informed decisions and understanding when, where, and how to achieve the greatest emissions reductions in the most cost-effective manner.

City Council

On September 23, 2025, the draft CAP2030 was presented to the City Council at a public hearing and was unanimously adopted. 

Planning Commission

On May 12, 2025, the draft CAP2030 was reviewed by the City's Planning Commission at a Public Hearing, and the Commission adopted a resolution recommending adoption by the City Council.

Community Survey

In February 2025, the City issued a survey to gather feedback on which environmental sustainability programs and climate action initiatives are most important to our community. View Results

Sustainability Commission

The City’s Sustainability Commission played an integral role in the development of CAP2030, contributing ideas, insights, and feedback throughout the drafting process during both regular and special meetings. On October 17, 2024, the draft CAP2030 was formally presented to the Commission, which voted to recommend its adoption by the City Council.

Spanish Language Workshop

In March 2024, the City partnered with North Marin Community Services to co-host a Spanish-language workshop with the aim of broadening community engagement in the development of CAP2030.

Community Workshops 

The City hosted four topic-specific workshops at the Sustainability Commission meetings listed below, with a total of 81 people participating.

August 17, 2023 - TRANSPORTATION (21 participants)
September 21, 2023 - ENERGY (20 participants)
October 19, 2023 - WASTE & WATER (18 participants)
November 16, 2023 - ADAPTATION & SEQUESTRATION (22 participants)

The City of Novato completed its first community-wide GHG emissions inventory in 2005, which serves as the baseline to measure progress. A second inventory was produced in 2010 and annual inventories have been produced from 2014 through 2022 (the most recent year for which we have complete data). These inventories can be accessed below:

2005, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022

The 2022 GHG emissions inventory shows that the Novato community has reduced emissions 31% since 2005, which is equivalent to 18% below estimated 1990 emissions. Emissions dropped from about 369,971 metric tons carbon dioxide equivalents (MTCO2e) in 2005 to 256,241 MTCO2e in 2022. However, in order to meet the local and State target for 2030, Novato needs to reduce emissions another 67,555 MCO2e and a further 209,069 MTCO2e to meet the State target for 2050, which is 80% below 1990 levels.

As of 2022, the majority of local GHG emissions came from transportation (64%) followed by natural gas used in buildings (28%) as shown in the chart below. 

Note: Emissions from municipal operations are measured in five-year intervals, since they account for just 1% of emissions generated in Novato.

The City of Novato was an early responder to concerns related to global warming by adopting a Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) in 2009. The CCAP established a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target of 15% below 2005 levels by the year 2020, consistent with the State’s direction to local governments in the Assembly Bill (AB) 32 Scoping Plan, and 40% below 2005 levels by 2035 to achieve the 80% statewide GHG emissions reduction goal by 2050.