80 x 30 is the science-based target that represents our fair share of the global emissions reduction required to halve emissions by 2030 and reach global net zero by 2050, in order to limit global warming to 1.5° C (2.7° F) above pre-industrial levels. Warming above 1.5°C risks further sea level rise, extreme weather, biodiversity loss and species extinction, as well as food scarcity and worsening health and poverty for millions of people worldwide.
80 x 30 is the ambitious goal that the City Council set in 2016 to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 80% by 2030, relative to our 1990 baseline. In 2016, the city emitted 479,025 metric tons of greenhouse gases, so the goal is for the city to emit 156,024 metric tons in 2030. When we set this goal in 2016, the state of California already had a target of 40 x 30 and an aspirational goal of 80 x 50. The City Council wanted to set an example and accelerate climate action, so chose 80 x 30.
Since then, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change determined that "we risk severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts" from climate change, and need “substantial” emissions reductions (of 40-70% or more) by 2030. The overwhelming majority of independent climate scientists have determined that going above a 2° C (3.6° F) rise would trigger a series of catastrophic changes to life on Earth that could not be undone. Today, we are at 1.1° above Celsius, with just 0.9 degrees left before irreversible damage occurs, such as ocean waters flooding cities, extreme fires and other natural disasters, and extinction of species, along with economic, social, and political disruptions.