California Environmental Quality Act,
Mitigation for Greenhouse Gas Emissions
As part of the Attorney General’s efforts to work with agencies as they confront the challenge of addressing global warming in their CEQA documents, we have prepared a Fact Sheet listing various mitigation measures 
[PDF 267 kb / 22 pg] that local agencies may consider to offset or reduce global warming impacts.
There are many other helpful resources that set forth potential mitigation. These include the Governor's Office of Planning and Research's Technical Advisory (June 2008) and the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association's white paper, CEQA and Climate Change (January 2008). The update of the CEQA Guidelines in March 2010 also provides additional guidance. Pursuant to Guideline Appendix F, all environmental impact reports “shall” consider the potentially significant energy implications of the project. Appendix F lists specific energy conservation measures that may be appropriate mitigation. The Guidelines also state that mitigation may include “[o]ff-site measures, including offsets that are not otherwise required” and “[m]easures that sequester greenhouse gases[.]” See Guidelines, § 15126.4.(c).
There are a number of modeling tools that can assist in estimating greenhouse gas emissions reductions and other benefits associated with project design features and mitigation measures. Many of these tools are listed in OPR's Technical Advisory and in CAPCOA's white paper. These lists are not, however, exhaustive. New tools, including integrated models that can make predictions about complex systems, are emerging. We fully expect that as better models develop, agencies will employ them to make better, more informed decisions.
For information relating more specifically to general plan updates, see CEQA, Global Warming and General Plans