>>> To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C – as called for in the Paris Agreement – emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030. We call on OAK Airport to conduct a comprehensive accounting of greenhouse gas emissions, including flight emissions, and reduce all emissions by 45% by 2030.

>>> Passenger aviation accounts for 11% of SF Bay Area greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (2019), but represents an even larger share of global warming contribution due to high altitude effects. Burning fuel in the sensitive stratosphere warms the planet on average 3 times more than just the emitted CO2.

>>> Flying harms the climate more than any other form of travel per passenger mile.

>>> Emissions from passenger flights at OAK are equivalent to the yearly emissions from 480,000 cars.

>>> “The worst health effects occur from particulate matter emitted from airplanes during takeoff and landing, most impacting communities that live, work, and go to school near airports. These communities are disproportionately low-income communities and communities of color.”~Press release 4/4/22 from CA Attorney General

>>> Ultra Fine Particles, tiny particles from airplane emissions have a huge impact on the air quality and health of communities extending in a 10 mile long plume along the landing and take off flight paths.

>>> OAK and SFO airports are directly fueled by a pipeline through Richmond from Bay Area oil refineries. More flights lead to more pollution for refinery communities.

>>> Climate change causes heat-related deaths and respiratory illness from breathing smoke from wildfires.

>>>Leaded aviation gasoline (avgas) is still in use for piston-engine planes at the Oakland Airport. Leaded avgas was banned last year in Santa Clara County because of the harm to local residents, particularly children. Flight paths are unfairly concentrated over some neighborhoods instead of others.

>>> Airlines are failing to meet climate goals but still claim to be green. There are no technological solutions available yet for greening air traffic at current demand.

>>> Southwest Airlines, the major airline at OAK, has an energy partnership with Phillips 66/Rodeo and Marathon Refinery/Martinez in support of two massive Bay Area biofuel refinery projects to produce “Sustainable Aviation Fuel” (SAF/Biofuel). Read here about The Biofuels Myth, Why Sustainable Aviation Fuels Won’t Power Climate Safe Air Travel.

>>> Environmental groups are suing over these refinery conversion projects, stating that the rushed review ignored dangers to the communities and environment. “After wreaking havoc on the health of California’s communities for over a century, Big Oil is trying to squeeze any last bit of profit they can from these massive, aging, otherwise defunct pieces of polluting fossil fuel infrastructure,” said Connie Cho, an attorney at Communities For A Better Environment. “Retrofitting petroleum refineries to produce first-generation food system-based biofuels without a net climate benefit is a corporate oil scam, not a just transition plan.”

>>> Communities that neighbor Oakland Airport or are located under its flight paths are already experiencing major noise impacts and with an expansion more flights will equal more noise.

>>> Aircraft engines produce among the loudest human-made noises in existence. Jet engine noise is typically in the range of 120-140 decibels. Community noise exposure from departing or arriving aircraft can reach 80 to 90 decibels (dB) per plane for communities adjacent to the airport and > 60 dB for other communities in the flightpath. According to World Health Organization aircraft noise exposure above 45 dB is associated with adverse health effects.

>>> Chronic aircraft noise exposure is a serious health threat. Noise could take years off your life. Communities experiencing chronic aircraft noise have an increased risk of:

—————>Hospitalization and death due to heart disease such as heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure.

————->Psychological disorders including anxiety and depression.

————->Sleep disturbance which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes, cancer and other health conditions.

>>> Chronic aircraft noise hurts children’s ability to learn resulting in lower reading and comprehension scores and greater test failure rates.

>>>Flight paths are unfairly concentrated over some neighborhoods instead of others. Aircraft noise disproportionately impacts low income communities and communities of color in the airport’s vicinity.

>>> The OAK runways are below sea level during high tide events and the airport infrastructure includes multiple pumping stations to keep the runways dry at such times.

>>> According to the Ocean Protection Council's estimations, there will likely be at least an 8.5 foot rise in sea level in the next 100 years. Public money should not be spent on stranded assets.

>>> The airline industry has not shown that its record profit and growth means good jobs.

>>> Essential airport workers- cabin cleaners, wheelchair agents, baggage handlers and security personnel—are underpaid and under-protected against environmental and health concerns.

>>> Airlines that profit from airport expansion have fragmented airport workplaces by contracting out their service jobs to dozens of different companies with varying standards for pay, benefits and training.

>>> This is about racial equity and environmental justice because these essential airport workers, on the frontlines, are largely people of color, immigrants and women. (Read more in the SEIU Turbulence Ahead report)

>>> 80% of the world has never been on an airplane and one single passenger’s flight emissions are more than a lot of people around the world emit in a whole year.

>>> In the US, frequent flyers dominate the market. 12% of US households take 66% of flights. Read this opinion piece about why There Needs To Be A Climate Tax For Frequent Fliers.

>>> Communities of color and socioeconomically challenged communities are more likely to be exposed to poor air quality due to systems such as redlining. These frontline communities bear the brunt of refinery and aviation pollution.

>>>Rail is a critical climate solution, read the Sierra Club Rail Report, August 2023

>>> In the report Net Zero by 2050, the International Energy Agency recommends that regional flights are shifted to high‐speed rail and that business and long‐haul leisure air travel does not exceed 2019 levels.

>>>90% of OAK destinations are currently served by Amtrak, see this study.

>>> California High Speed rail (HSR) is under construction and will service 4 of the 10 top Oakland airport departure destinations. See this study.

>>> The money allocated for the OAK expansion could alternatively go towards enhancing existing Amtrak service and accelerating the build-out of HSR.

>>> Rail uses far less fuel per passenger mile than flying but can’t compete for passengers without more investment.

>>> Businesses and conferences have adapted to the permanent reality of remote working.

>>> Experts expect that business travel will never return to its previous volume. Read 9/5/23 Mercury News Article: Will business travel to the Bay Area bounce back to pre-COVID levels? Maybe not

>>> The demand for a ‘just transition’ has been developed by trade unions and the climate justice movement.

>>> It aims to protect workers and communities currently dependent on fossil fuel industries but is also a broader process to help safeguard the future of workers, communities and the planet.