Nation's Mayors Expand Their Commitment To Attack
Local Climate Challenges
Jun 23, 2012 - reuters.com
PR Newswire
DALLAS, June 23, 2014
DALLAS, June 23, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
At its 82nd Annual U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting
yesterday, the nation's mayors renewed their longstanding
commitment to fight climate change by reducing carbon
emissions, promoting energy independence and efficiency
and developing renewable energy.
U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Conference President Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson
joined with other USCM leaders to sign a revised
agreement that for the first time emphasizes local
actions to adapt cities to changing climatic conditions
and to build grassroots support for local conservation
initiatives.
The Agreement also urges federal and state governments
to enact bipartisan legislation, policies and programs
to assist mayors in their efforts to lead the nation
toward energy independence, create American jobs
that can't be shipped overseas, protect our environment,
eliminate waste, and fight climate change.
Following the signing ceremony, U.S. Energy Secretary
Ernest Moniz and Environmental Protection Administrator
Gina McCarthy congratulated the Conference on their
work and engaged in an interactive discussion with
mayors from the audience.
First launched ten years ago in February of 2005,
the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement was
a landmark pledge by mayors from all across the country
to take local action to reduce carbon emissions from
city operation and by the community at large, consistent
with the goals of the Kyoto Protocol. More than 1060
mayors signed the Agreement, mostly representing
larger cities.
For nearly a decade, the USCM through its Mayors'
Climate Protection Center has recognized mayors for
their successful efforts through its annual Mayors'
Climate Protection Awards. The Center has convened
summits and sessions, and released numerous reports,
surveys and best practice guides highlighting mayoral
best practices, citing initiatives and progress in
cutting local carbon emissions. New examples released
during this meeting include Gresham, Oregon for its
efforts to make its wastewater treatment system 100
percent powered by onsite renewable power and Las
Vegas for challenging itself to become the first
net-zero city for energy, water and waste.
USCM President Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said
mayors have been leaders on climate protection, whether
it's cutting carbon emissions or preparing their
communities for the effects of climate change. "In
the 3.0 era, mayors are innovating, working with
the best and the brightest, to lead on climate. Mayors
are getting smart about sustainability. We're moving
from fossil fuels to alternative fuels, from waste
to reuse. Mayors are using technology and innovation
to do what we couldn't do ten years ago. We're boosting
our economies and protecting our climate at the same
time."
USCM Energy independence and Climate Protection
Task Force Co-Chair and Bridgeport, CT Mayor Bill
Finch said, "This is not a cause for mayors.
This is a pragmatic problem that requires pragmatic
solutions. Mayors across the country are investing
in the future by tackling climate change head on.
And, those who have signed onto the U.S. Conference
of Mayors agreement have made more progress on beating
back climate change in their cities than those who
have not. But we all need to do more. That's why
I'm calling on all mayors to step up their climate
protection efforts by signing a new agreement: One
that remains bullish on climate change mitigation
efforts, but increases our focus on resiliency. By
increasing our focus on green job creation and business
growth, investing in cleaner energy that results
in cleaner air, and cutting down on waste, we'll
ensure that cities are places where our kids and
grandkids will choose to live, work, and raise their
families.
Carmel, Indiana Mayor Jim Brainard, Co-Chair of
the USCM Climate Protection Task Force said, "Mayors
are united more than ever to tackle the problems
associated with climate change. When we started this
effort in 2005, we thought we had more time to act.
Climatic events of late tell us we have to accelerate
our efforts at every level. Regardless of your politics,
people realize we've made a mess of our climate and
our environment and we need to clean it up. It's
very simple."
USCM Executive Director and CEO Tom Cochran said, "While
Washington is talking about cutting carbon to protect
our planet, mayors and their constituents are taking
action across the board with millions of Americans
actually doing something about it. Our USCM Climate
Center is leading the way and mayors across the globe
are not waiting for their national governments. Others
talk about the future; mayors are walking toward
our future. They are making a difference."
The renewed Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement
encourages federal and state cooperation with local
governments to do the following:
Promote greater energy independence and reduce
the United States' dependence on fossil fuels;?
Accelerate energy efficiency and the development of clean, economical and renewable
energy technologies such as cogeneration, LED/other energy-efficient lighting,
methane recovery for energy generation, waste to energy, wind and solar energy,
fuel cells, efficient motor vehicles, and biofuels;
Adapt city buildings, homes, facilities and infrastructures to address changing
climatic conditions; and
Urge the federal government to reduce carbon pollution through?the Clean Air
Act, Appliance Efficiency Standards, Federal Transportation Investments, and
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency loan and grant programs, including refunding
of energy block grant program, and by proposing new legislative initiatives.
On the local level, Mayors agreed to:
Develop an energy plan that addresses and includes
water, wastewater and stormwater runoff, heat island
effects, preservation of open space and an inventory
of emissions from fossil fuels for city operations
and for the community using established metrics,
set reduction targets and adopt elements that address
how to harden and adapt city systems and infrastructures
to climatic events;
Adopt and enforce land-use policies that reduce
sprawl, preserve open space, and create compact,
walkable urban communities;
Promote transportation options such as bicycle trails,
commute trip reduction programs, incentives for car
pooling and public transit;
Increase the use of clean, alternative energy by
supporting the development of renewable energy resources,
building the renewable energy technology manufacturing
capacity of cities, recovering landfill methane for
energy production, and supporting the use of waste
to energy technology;
Make energy efficiency and resilience a priority
through building code improvements, retrofitting
city facilities with energy efficient lighting, urging
employees to conserve energy and save money and other
actions to maximize the performance of the city buildings;
Increase the average fuel efficiency of municipal
fleet vehicles, reduce the number of vehicles, launch
an employee education program including anti-idling
messages, and convert diesel vehicles to bio-diesel;
Evaluate opportunities to increase energy efficiency
in water and wastewater systems, recover wastewater
treatment methane for energy production, and harden
these systems to respond to sea level rise and other
climatic events threatening the delivery of these
services;
Increase recycling rates in city operations and
in the community;
Maintain healthy urban forests; promote tree planting
to increase shading and ?to absorb CO2;
Help educate the public, schools, other jurisdictions,
professional associations, ?business and industry
about the importance of energy efficiency and renewable
energy development in reducing carbon and actions
necessary to adapt buildings, systems, and infrastructures
to respond to changing climate conditions;
Support investment in climate preparedness strategies
that implement the use of green infrastructure to
increase resilience of city water systems, encourage
preparedness policies that take into account a city's
most vulnerable populations and disproportionately
affected citizens, and work with state and federal
officials to have disaster response systems in place
to deal with acute stresses to a city or region;
and
Increase community preparedness by assessing and
addressing projected impacts such as sea level rise,
increased storm surge, extreme heat, drought, floods,
and wildfires.
To view the expanded U.S. Mayors Climate Protection
Agreement, go http://usmayors.org/climateagreement/Final%20USCM%202014%20Mayors%20Climate%20Protection%20Agreement.pdf
About The United States Conference of Mayors --
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan
organization of cities with populations of 30,000
or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the
country today, and each city is represented in the
Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor.
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or
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SOURCE The U.S. Conference of Mayors
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/06/23/mayors-local-climate-idUKnPn4vs0Nz+82+PRN20140623
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