U.S. mayors have established themselves as national and international leaders in the effort to fight global warming. Since having formed the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement (MCPA) in 2007, which has now been signed by more than 1,000 mayors, hundreds of U.S. cities have made good on their mayors’ promises to apply the goals of the Kyoto Protocol to their own communities, and to explore ways to save energy, use green power, and reduce carbon pollution.
The MCPA was meant to not only bolster the Kyoto accord, but to also put pressure on the U.S. Congress to lead on national global warming and energy policies – a responsibility that has not yet been met.
With the announcement by President Obama that the EPA will issue stringent pollution reduction requirements for large-scale energy generation, U.S. mayors have reason to be optimistic that national policies will begin to support the local, community-level work they have advanced over the past decade or more.
Statement Of U.S. Conference Of Mayors President Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson On EPA Issuance Of Clean Air Act Proposed Regulations On Greenhouse Gases
Washington, DC | PRNewswire-USNewswire | June 2, 2014
U.S. Conference of Mayors President Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson today issued the following statement regarding EPA’s issuance of Clean Air Act new Proposed Greenhouse Gas Regulations:
“We commend President Barack Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency for their commitment to cut carbon emissions from power plants by 30 percent by 2030. The U.S. Conference of Mayors has led the way in reducing the nation’s carbon footprint through both national policy and local best practices.
“All our cities are vulnerable to our changing climate, but our coastal cities are especially vulnerable to more intense storms and, over the next century, rising sea levels. We believe that addressing climate change can also bring added benefits, such as energy independence and the creation of a whole new generation of renewable and energy efficient and conservation technologies that can transform our global economy and provide it more stability. The time to lead is now.
