Honorable Mayor Wolosin, fellow Councilmembers, and City Staff – my name is John McKenna. I serve on the Environmental Quality Commission but I am writing tonight as an individual. Thank you for the opportunity and thank you for all of your great work on behalf of the City of Menlo Park.

Saturday was Earth Day and many of us celebrated at the Love Our Earth Festival. The event had something for everyone and was an opportunity for our communities to come together and learn ways that we can all be greener citizens. In the spirit of Earth Day, I’m urging the City of Menlo Park to accelerate progress on the Climate Action Plan. While we are moving in the right direction, the pace must quicken. The most recent IPCC report, which was finalized last month, noted with very high confidence that “climate change is a threat to human well-being and planetary health. And, “there is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.” I highlight this not to instill fear but to inspire action. I maintain hope for our future, but hope can only be sustained through action. My hope comes from knowing that we have so many solutions at our disposal and that individuals and organizations all over the world are working towards implementing these solutions while continuing to develop new technologies. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment and local action is critical to making progress. I respectfully ask that Menlo Park prioritize both mitigation and adaptation. I acknowledge that there are many important issues and that addressing climate change will not be easy. But we have the tools, and numerous rebates and tax incentives are in place to allow for an equitable transition to a decarbonized future. We owe it to our children and future generations to do everything within our power to address this situation with the urgency that it demands and deserves. Thank you.

Sincerely,

John McKenna
Menlo Park, CA
(650) 776-8548