CO-BENEFITS Co-benefits within the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund
are the secondary economic, environmental and public health benefits that can potentially occur in tandem with the reduction of GHG emissions. Although co-benefits are ultimately subordinate to carbon reduction, they are not optional. California legislation clearly mandates maximizing co-benefits in all climate investment strategies, with a particular focus on directing those benefits to disadvantaged communities. The list of potential co-benefits for DACs is long: Job creation, small business support, increased property values for low-income homeowners, decreases in the cost of living including the provision of affordable housing units and the lowering of utility bills, education and skill development, safer neighborhoods, reduced airborne toxins not associated with climate change, reduced urban heat island effects, drought alleviation, soil remediation, improvement of blighted parcels, greater recreational opportunities that promote a healthy lifestyle, and reduced rates of asthma, obesity, heat-related illnesses and a host of other health conditions are just some examples of possible secondary benefits for California’s most vulnerable populations.
Advantaging Communities provides policy recommendations to more effectively prioritize these benefits in DACs to the maximum extent feasible while maintaining a primary focus on GHG reduction. It also is concerned with ensuring that these benefits are not only maximized, but that they remain an asset to the most vulnerable households and businesses for as long as possible and that the benefits themselves address significant issues identified by community members. Recommendations also include policies promoting community resiliency against the forces of displacement and policies advancing authentic community engagement characterized by participatory, shared decision-making processes.
