Planning February 2020
Climate
Global Problems, Local Solutions
An international coalition has set some radical climate goals. Here’s how three U.S. cities are working to meet them.
By Michael Podgers
A Global Green New Deal was endorsed by 80 mayors and hundreds of climate leaders in October during the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group summit in Copenhagen. Founded 15 years ago by former London mayor Ken Livingston and other representatives from 18 megacities, the coalition now includes more than 90 cities dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale.
Mike O'Brien, the Seattle City Council member who sponsored the city's Green New Deal, speaks with activists at a press conference in support of the bill. Photo courtesy Seattle City Council.
Global Green New Deal tackles emissions
As part of the Global Green New Deal, C40 Cities aims to put "inclusive climate action at the center of all urban decision making," cut GHG emissions in half by 2030, and meet the Paris Agreement's goal of keeping the global temperature increase under 1.5 degrees Celsius.
"We are entering a make-or-break decade for the preservation of our planet and environmental justice for every community," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, chair of C40 Cities, said in a press release. "When it comes to climate action, no one is doing more than cities, but," he added, "no one is doing enough."
Radical climate goals have proven easier set than met. Like the Paris Agreement and other C40 Cities' efforts, the Global Green New Deal lays out an appropriately bold vision but does little to hold cities accountable. With the coalition embarking on a new mission, it's a good time to look at the methods cities are using to try to reach their climate goals. Here's where three American C40 Cities stand.
Boston
In July, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy gave Boston the top spot on its City Clean Energy Scorecard due in part to its stringent building energy codes. The 2013 Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance requires building owners to track and report energy efficiency. By providing resources on how to do so and meet efficiency goals, the city has achieved a 90 percent compliance rate since that program began. And the city is finding funding for the necessary upfront investments: The Renew Boston Trust began in 2017 as a city-led public-private partnership that funded 14 energy rehabs and solar installation projects. The savings from these projects will fund the next round of investments. And not to be forgotten: The city first issued a climate action plan in 2007 and has updated it regularly since.
Seattle
In September, Seattle passed legislation to turn symbolic action into implementable policy. The city's legislature unanimously voted to create a Green New Deal Oversight Board with the power to establish methods of following and implementing the city's initially nonbinding Green New Deal, which was passed in August. The oversight board will advise city departments on how to implement the program and track its progress. While Seattle isn't the only city using Green New Deal language, it is leading others by creating government capacity to implement local versions. While it's too early to know how successful the oversight board will be, its creation is an important step to move Seattle beyond symbolic action by providing government with the power to enforce policy goals.
Los Angeles
Garcetti has been a champion of action on climate change since taking office in 2013, and he was elected chair of the C40 cities in October 2019. He spearheaded the creation of an ambitious sustainability action plan for the city that was first published in 2015 and requires annual progress reports and complete updates every four years. Additionally, LA is investing in small-scale solar on a large scale — and making social equity part of its sustainable energy initiatives — by enabling the city's energy department to lease the rooftops of low-income households to install solar panels. Although the city still struggles with high single-occupancy vehicle use, it continues to invest heavily in expanding its metro and bus rapid transit system.
Michael Podgers holds a master's in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago.