by Brianna Crandall — August 28, 2015—A coalition of U.S. mayors and city officials announced this week that they will join the UN Conference of Parties (COP) meeting in Paris in December to showcase their cities’ climate leadership and call for an ambitious international agreement that addresses the climate crisis and supports further action at the local level.
This group of mayors, called the Local Climate Leaders Circle, includes mayors of Atlanta, Boulder, Chula Vista, Columbus, Des Moines, Grand Rapids, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, and West Palm Beach, as well as councilmembers from Santa Monica and King County, Washington.
The Leaders Circle is coordinated in partnership by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, National League of Cities, and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in association with the Compact of Mayors and C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.
The Leaders Circle works alongside city officials from across the United States to advance their local climate goals, recognizing that the most ambitious local goals can only be achieved alongside an enabling national and international framework.
The partners are working closely with these cities on a range of efforts including updating measurements of their greenhouse gas emissions, preparing local projects to better access needed financing, engaging citizens on climate action, and meeting with high-level representatives from the U.S. government and international community to advance a climate accord that benefits city action.
The members of the Local Climate Leaders Circle have committed to the Compact of Mayors, a global coalition of mayors and city officials pledging to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions, enhance resilience to climate change and track their progress transparently.
Considered first responders to the expensive and growing impacts of climate change, mayors and county officials across the nation have already made measurable cuts in emissions by reforming policies and regulations related to polluting sectors like energy and transportation, and have also led by example in their own municipal operations, note the supporting organizations.
Since buildings account for 30 percent or more of total carbon emissions, many cities are pushing building retrofits through LEED certification and similar programs to reduce their carbon footprint, spur job creation, save energy and water, and promote the use of renewable and clean energy, points out USGBC.
This Local Climate Leaders Circle is a project of the Resilient Communities for America campaign founded by the Leaders Circle partners, which has collected over 200 pledges from local elected officials across the United States toward building cities and towns that can bounce back from extreme weather and economic challenges.
The same day as the mayors made their announcement, President Obama announced new actions to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency across the country. According to the accompanying Fact Sheet, “the president is challenging all mayors to publicly commit to a climate action plan ahead of the Paris UN meeting, and has set a goal of having at least 100 U.S. cities that have signed onto the Compact by the end of November.”
