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City of Pleasanton—Hidden Canyon Residences and Preserve Greenhouse Gas Emissions Draft EIR 3.7-4 FirstCarbon Solutions https://adecinnovations.sharepoint.com/sites/PublicationsSite/Shared Documents/Publications/Client (PN-JN)/2148/21480016/EIR/3 - Draft EIR/21480016 Sec03-07 GHG.docx These observed trends in the San Francisco Bay Area are anticipated to continue in the future: • Temperatures are projected to rise substantially, and more extreme hot days will occur. By 2050, Bay Area annual average temperatures are projected to increase by an additional 2.7°F in the absence of actions to reduce GHG emissions. The number of very hot days and severe heat waves are projected to more than double across the region by midcentury. • More precipitation extremes, more rain, and less snow. The Sierra Nevada region has experienced some of the wettest and driest years in more than 100 years of record keeping. The Sierra Nevada is also the source of much of the Bay Area’s water supply, which is typically stored as snow melt rather than water, posing challenges to water storage and distribution, particularly during the longer fire seasons. • Sea level rise. Sea level at the Golden Gate Bridge has risen 8 inches over the last 100 years, creating implications on coastal flooding, erosion, and related damages. • Increased frequency of wildfires. Higher temperatures, higher winds and drought are fueling wildfires across the Bay Area and California, while also lengthening the wildfire season. Wildfires can cause dramatic short-term spikes in air pollution levels and emit massive quantities of CO2 and black carbon (a short-lived GHG), along with other pollutants. • Exacerbation of air quality problems and impacts on public health. The number of days with high ozone levels correlates closely with the years when the Bay Area experiences more extreme-heat days. Higher ozone levels due may increase negative health impacts such as acute respiratory symptoms, lost school days, and even premature death. In addition, heat- related deaths and illnesses are anticipated to rise and urban heat island impacts will grow. Higher temperatures will increase vector-borne diseases and produce more plant pollen and lengthen allergy seasons. • Higher temperatures exacerbate pollution from cars and industry. Higher temperatures increase the use of air conditioners in buildings and cars, which in turn requires more combustion of fossil fuels, resulting in increased levels of ozone precursors, particulates, toxic air contaminants (TACs ), and GHGs. While the impacts are felt locally, climate change is a global issue because GHGs are global pollutants. Pollutants with localized air quality effects, including criteria air pollutants and TACs, have relatively short atmospheric lifetimes (approximately 1 day) and generally do not travel greatly beyond their point of emission. By contrast, GHGs have long atmospheric lifetimes, ranging from several years to several thousand years. GHGs persist in the atmosphere for a long enough time to be dispersed around the globe, cumulatively combining to cause a global climate effect. 3.7.4 - Regulatory Framework The following section describes federal, State, regional, and local regulations and policies that are specific to reducing GHG emissions and are applicable to the proposed project.