Cities Must Pledge Net Zero Emissions
Because setting an intention is the first step to actually doing it
[Versions of this letter to the editor appeared in two local newspapers in my area: Easy Reader and Beach Reporter.]
The recent wildfires and extreme weather in California are an unmistakable signal that climate change has arrived. The time window for incremental improvements has ended, and bold action is required, now.
Our top priority should be to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and protect our ecosystems.
The most basic step toward taking these actions is to pledge our intentions. Our cities need to set science-based emissions targets that will set us on a trajectory to net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.
And yet, only six of the 88 cities in LA county have taken even this most foundational step by joining the UN Race to Zero initiative. These six are Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Glendale, Los Angeles, Lakewood, and Manhattan Beach.
The other 82 cities must step up.
Californians have watched the national developments in climate policy with bated breath, including the recent deal between Senators Schumer and Manchin on climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, and President Biden’s executive actions to…
