San Francisco Aims Net-Zero by 2040

San Francisco has released a new Climate Action Plan that moves the city toward net-zero emissions by 2040. (sf.gov) Mayor Daniel Lurie announced the five-year update on April 16, 2026, and signed legislation to align the city’s official climate goals with the new plan. City officials said the update is meant to cut emissions, lower household costs, and improve public health. (sf.gov) The plan sets a 2030 target to cut emissions 61% below 1990 levels and a 2040 target for net-zero emissions citywide. It also calls for all buildings to be zero-emission by 2040 and for all energy use citywide to shift to 100% clean sources by then. (sfenvironment.org) Transportation is a major piece of the update. The city says vehicle miles traveled should fall 25% from 2019 levels by 2030 and 30% by 2040, while 100% of cars and small trucks in San Francisco should be zero-emission by 2040. (sfenvironment.org) Buildings are another focus because homes and businesses still burn fossil gas for heat, hot water, and cooking. The plan says San Francisco aims to decarbonize about 18,000 buildings by 2030 and make all buildings zero-emission by 2040. (sfenvironment.org) The update also reaches beyond power and transportation. It calls for cutting solid waste generation 15% from 2015 levels by 2030, reducing landfill disposal by 50%, and lowering emissions from building materials 40% by 2035. (sfenvironment.org) City officials tied the plan to housing and neighborhood growth as well as climate policy. The roadmap calls for planning 82,000 new housing units by 2030, including at least 36,000 in well-resourced neighborhoods, with an emphasis on affordability and transit-oriented development. (sfenvironment.org) San Francisco is also framing the plan around household bills, not only emissions totals. Lurie’s office said the city and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission are launching an Electrify Your Home Incentive Program to help CleanPowerSF customers replace appliances or electrify entire homes. (sf.gov) The city is building on its 2021 Climate Action Plan rather than starting over. San Francisco Environment says the 2026 version follows a 2023 progress report and was shaped by public input, multilingual outreach, and a racial and social equity review. (sfenvironment.org) San Francisco says it had already cut greenhouse gas emissions 48% below 1990 levels by 2020, even as population rose 21% over the same period. The new plan turns that record into a tighter deadline: net-zero by 2040, with the next test in how quickly the city can turn targets into buildings, vehicles, and bills residents can actually see. (sfenvironment.org)