HomeMy WebLinkAboutRESOLUTIONS-2006-059-R-060 59-R-06 10/4/2006
A RESOLUTION
Authorizing the Mayor to Sign
the United States Mayors Climate Protection Agreement
WHEREAS, The United States (US) 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
6 WHEREAS, recent, well -documented impacts of climate disruption include
average global sea level increases of four to eight inches during the 20th century; a forty
percent (40%) 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; sea -level 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 five and two -tenths percent (5.2%) below 1990 levels by 2012; and
WHEREAS, the United States of America, with less than five percent (5%) of
the world's population, is responsible for producing approximately twenty-five percent
(25%) of the world's global warming pollutants; and
WHEREAS, the Kyoto Protocol emissions reduction target for the US would
have been seven percent (7%) 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 US Mayors
Climate Protection Agreement which, as amended at the 73rd Annual US Conference of
Mayors meeting, reads:
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59-R-06
9 The US 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 US 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; and
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:
1. Inventory global warming emissions in City operations and in the
community, set reduction targets and create an action plan.
2. Adopt and enforce land -use policies that reduce sprawl, preserve
open space, and create compact, walkable urban communities;
3. Promote transportation options such as bicycle trails, commuter trip
reduction programs, incentives for car pooling and public transit;
4. 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;
5. 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;
6. Purchase only Energy Star equipment and appliances for City use;
7. Practice and promote sustainable building practices using the US
Green Building Council's LEED program or a similar system;
8. 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;
9. Evaluate opportunities to increase pump efficiency in water systems;
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10. Increase recycling rates in City operations and in the community; 0
11. Maintain healthy urban forests; promote tree planting to increase
shading and to absorb CO2; and
12. Help educate the public, schools, other jurisdictions, professional
associations, business and industry about reducing global warming
pollution.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EVANSTON,
COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS:
SECTION 1: That the Mayor is hereby authorized and directed to sign, and
the City Clerk hereby authorized and directed to attest on behalf of the City of Evanston.
SECTION 2: That this Resolution shall be in full force and effect from and after
its passage and approval in the manner provided by law.
�- L, rraine H. Morton, Mayor
Attest:
Mary P. isJ, &y Clerk
Adopted: , 2006
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