Climate Action History

Progress to Date

The City of Hayward has conducted a GHG emissions inventory of communitywide GHG emissions for 2005, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019. In addition to these inventories, the City adopted its first CAP in 2009 and updated the CAP in 2014 and incorporated it in the City’s General Plan. See Appendix B for more information about the data used and how GHG emissions were calculated for Hayward’s 2019 GHG emissions inventory. Figure 2 shows some of the major milestones from recent history in Hayward’s climate actions.

Trends from Hayward GHG Emissions Inventories

In the 2014 CAP, the City of Hayward set a target to reduce GHG emissions 20 percent below 2005 baseline levels by 2020. The City achieved this goal in large part to the community’s enrollment in the Ava Community Energy’s19 Brilliant 100 electricity product, which provided 100 percent carbon free electricity. Community emissions are driven by both residential and commercial activity occurring within Hayward. Thus, changes in population and jobs in the City can result in increases or decreases in community emissions. For example, Hayward has experienced an estimated 11 percent increase in population, 8 percent increase in jobs, and a 6 percent increase in housing units since 2010. During this growth the City’s climate actions and other systemic changes resulted in an overall 30 percent decrease in emissions compared to 2005 and 22 percent decrease in emissions compared to 2010. However, there is an additional opportunity for continued progress.

Figure 2: Milestones in Hayward's Climate Action History

Climate Action Leadership

The City of Hayward stands out as a notable leader in climate action in California and the nation. In 2022, the City was recognized as one of 122 local governments worldwide on the 2022 CDP Cities A List for its leadership in environmental action. This makes the fourth time in five years that Hayward has received this recognition. Achievements have been made possible through the diligent efforts of the City’s Environmental Services Division, Council Sustainability Committee, and other key City departments.

Environmental Services Division

The Environmental Services Division leads Hayward’s sustainability, climate action, and climate adaptation efforts. The team implements the City’s Climate Action Plan and provides staff support to the Council Sustainability Committee. The team also provides solid waste and recycling services and programs to minimize stormwater pollution. The team focuses on implementing various climate action programs around solar and energy efficiency, composting, electric vehicles, and building electrification.

City Council Sustainability Committee

The Hayward Council Sustainability Committee, as established by the City Council in 2007, provides expertise and guidance on policy areas related to the City’s ongoing climate action planning efforts. The Council Sustainability Committee provides policy recommendations related to renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation, green buildings, and other efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change on the local level. The Council Sustainability Committee meets bi-monthly to discuss policy issues related to Hayward’s sustainability goals and provide critical input during the CAP Update.

Future Progress

The measures and actions in this CAP provide Hayward with the GHG reductions necessary to achieve the City’s 2030 climate action target. However, the City’s climate action target of carbon neutrality by 2045 requires significant reductions in emissions that depend on critical changes to the technology, legislation, and systems currently in place.

As these measures and actions are put into effect, the City will acquire increased insights, novel technologies will be explored, and ongoing pilot projects and programs will grow to the size needed to reach carbon neutrality. Additionally, it is anticipated that state-level regulations will be revised, and added assistance will be extended in the future to aid in achieving carbon neutrality. The City has established a future CAP update schedule, as described in Section 13. Future CAP updates beyond 2030 will outline new measures and actions that Hayward will implement to close the remaining gap to achieve the target of carbon neutrality by 2045.