WHEREAS, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has
previously adopted strong policy resolutions calling for cities,
communities and the federal government to take actions to reduce
global warming pollution; and
WHEREAS, the Inter-Governmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC), the international community's most respected
assemblage of scientists, has found that climate disruption is
a reality and that human activities are largely responsible for
increasing concentrations of global warming pollution; and
WHEREAS, recent, well-documented impacts
of climate disruption include average global sea level increases
of four to eight inches during the 20th century; a 40 percent
decline in Arctic sea-ice thickness; and nine of the ten hottest
years on record occurring in the past decade; and
WHEREAS, climate disruption of the magnitude
now predicted by the scientific community will cause extremely
costly disruption of human and natural systems throughout the
world including: increased risk of floods or droughts; sealevel
rises that interact with coastal storms to erode beaches, inundate
land, and damage structures; more frequent and extreme heat waves;
more frequent and greater concentrations of smog; and
WHEREAS, on February 16, 2005, the Kyoto
Protocol, an international agreement to address climate disruption,
went into effect in the 141 countries that have ratified it to
date; 38 of those countries are now legally required to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions on average 5.2 percent below 1990 levels
by 2012; and
WHEREAS, the United States of America, with
less than five percent of the world's population, is responsible
for producing approximately 25 percent of the world's global warming
pollutants; and
WHEREAS, the Kyoto Protocol emissions reduction
target for the U.S. would have been 7 percent below 1990 levels
by 2012; and
WHEREAS, many leading US companies that have
adopted greenhouse gas reduction programs to demonstrate corporate
social responsibility have also publicly expressed preference
for the US to adopt precise and mandatory emissions targets and
timetables as a means by which to remain competitive in the international
marketplace, to mitigate financial risk and to promote sound investment
decisions; and
WHEREAS, state and local governments throughout
the United States are adopting emission reduction targets and
programs and that this leadership is bipartisan, coming from Republican
and Democratic governors and mayors alike; and
WHEREAS, many cities throughout the nation,
both large and small, are reducing global warming pollutants through
programs that provide economic and quality of life benefits such
as reduced energy bills, green space preservation, air quality
improvements, reduced traffic congestion, improved transportation
choices, and economic development and job creation through energy
conservation and new energy technologies; and
WHEREAS, mayors from around the nation have
signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement which, as
amended at the 73rd Annual U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting,
reads:
The U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement
A. We urge the federal government and state
governments to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the
target of reducing global warming pollution levels to 7 percent
below 1990 levels by 2012, including efforts to: reduce the United
States' dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate the development
of clean, economical energy resources and fuel-efficient technologies
such as conservation, methane recovery for energy generation,
waste to energy, wind and solar energy, fuel cells, efficient
motor vehicles, and biofuels;
B. We urge the U.S. Congress to pass bipartisan
greenhouse gas reduction legislation that includes: 1) clear timetables
and emissions limits and 2) a flexible, market-based system of
tradable allowances among emitting industries;
C. We will strive to meet or exceed Kyoto
Protocol targets for reducing global warming pollution by taking
actions in our own operations and communities such as:
-
Inventory global warming emissions in City
operations and in the community, set reduction targets and create
an action plan.
-
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, for example, investing in "green tags", advocating
for the development of renewable energy resources, recovering
landfill methane for energy production, and supporting the use
of waste to energy technology;
-
Make energy efficiency a priority through building
code improvements, retrofitting city facilities with energy
efficient lighting and urging employees to conserve energy and
save money;
-
Purchase only Energy Star equipment and appliances
for City use;
-
Practice and promote sustainable building practices
using the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program or a similar
system;
-
Increase the average fuel efficiency of municipal
fleet vehicles; reduce the number of vehicles; launch an employee
education program including anti-idling messages; convert diesel
vehicles to bio-diesel;
-
Evaluate opportunities to increase pump efficiency
in water and wastewater systems; recover wastewater treatment
methane for energy production;
-
Increase recycling rates in City operations
and in the community;
-
Maintain healthy urban forests; promote tree
planting to increase shading and to absorb CO2; and
-
Help educate the public, schools, other jurisdictions,
professional associations, business and industry about reducing
global warming pollution.
. 
