SANTA BARBARA, CA — On December 10 , 2019, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved a Declaration of a Climate Emergency introduced by County Supervisor Das Williams.
The declaration followed a Washington Post article featuring Santa Barbara, which is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the country. In under two centuries, Santa Barbara County has warmed 4.1ºF.
Originally drafted by Emiliano Campobello and Robert (Bob) Perry of The Climate Mobilization Santa Barbara County Chapter (TCM-SBC), the resolution initiates the first step in understanding the severity of the climate crisis and its local impacts, as well as implements goals moving forward.
Bob Perry is the Director of Energy Research at the World Business Academy and has been a vocal advocate to move the County away from fossil fuels toward a 21st century electric grid for many years. Together with Emiliano Campobello and Grace Feldman of the Santa Barbara Standing Rock Coalition, Perry worked to establish the Santa Barbara County TCM Chapter in 2018. TCM-SBC members also come from Sunrise, 350SB, and many other local environmental organizations. Some are unaffiliated.
TCM originally began in 2014 with a mission to protect people and the environment from the climate crisis through policy advocacy and political work. To learn more about TCM, visit https://www.theclimatemobilization.org.
The County’s recognition implies immense urgency for individuals, businesses, and politicians to create change in our community. TCM goals include leaving behind fossil fuel infrastructure, increasing renewable energy resources, and meeting emission reduction goals.
In 1969, Santa Barbara became the birthplace to the modern environmental movement, giving way to many of the organizations that still exist today. The County has become a unique setting for environmental activism, and the many researchers, advocates, activists, and organizations are working together to create effective change and set the groundwork for other counties. While this declaration is a victory for the County, it is only the first step in actualizing mobilization.
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