Global Warming Get's Local
by Geoffrey Castro, July 2005
In early June, mayors from around the country gathered at the U.S. Conference of Mayors and unanimously passed a resolution to try and meet emission standards set by the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty created to address the causes of global warming. The United States, a major global warming contributor, has not signed the treaty, now law for 141 countries.
What is Global Warming?
Climate change, or global warming, has become the most controversial environmental issue of the modern age. Climate change refers to the major shifts in the earth’s temperature, caused by human activities, which can lead to altered weather patterns, changes in sea levels, altered ecosystems and devastated economies. The Bush administration has repeatedly stated that the science behind the phenomenon is uncertain. Meanwhile, it is certain that human activities are affecting the natural environment. Many of the world’s leading scientists project that during our children’s lifetimes, global warming will raise the average temperature of the planet 2.7 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit.
The task of addressing global warming has now fallen to local governments joining together across the United States. Initiated by the Mayor of Seattle, Gregg Nickels, letters were sent with a draft of the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement to more than 400 mayors across the country, seeking their participation. As of August 14, 2006 284 mayors, some from many of the nation’s largest cities including New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston and New Orleans, have signed the agreement sending a powerful message of support for curbing climate change to our nation’s lawmakers. As many as five Texas cities, including Austin, have joined this initiative while Houston, the state’s top polluter has yet to sign on.
Mayor Will Wynn of Austin says, “We’re doing things to sustain our quality of life for the future and protect our climate. We can achieve these goals by accelerating our development of clean, economical energy sources and fuel efficient technologies while planning our growth and protecting open space.”
Known as the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement, participating cities commit to:
- meet Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities
- urge state and federal government to enact policies to meet or bear green house gas reductions for the U.S. set by the Kyoto Protocol; and
- urge Congress to pass the Climate Stewardship Act, which would establish a national emissions trading system.
The U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement is nonbinding. In essence, cities may sign on and not follow through on climate protection targets. However, the fact remains that overwhelming support for this agreement presents clear evidence that there is a growing trend toward revitalizing U. S. environmental policy.
Houston, already faced with a recurrence of dangerously high concentrations of ground level ozone, would benefit from Kyoto standards. Warmer climates will cause increased use of air conditioners and will consequently increase air pollutant emissions from power plants. Ozone also becomes worse during hot weather.
“Houston, known as one of the most polluted cities in the country, needs to change its image to a city that is the most energy efficient. This can be done by agreeing with other cities to adopt Kyoto Protocol standards,” says Joe Goldman, technical director for the International Center for the Solution of Environmental Problems. “An initiative by our mayor would be the first step in making Houston a leader in energy efficiency.”
More Information
- US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement
- Send the Mayor a message using our online form
- Clean recently sent a letter to Mayor White asking him to adopt Kyoto Protocol targets for Houston. Click here to read the Mayor's response and outlined plan for action.
