Cities urged to take lead on fighting global warming
The Buffalo News
by Walter Simpson
First the good news. Barack Obama has moved into the White House. Finally we have a president who understands global warming and climate change and is committed to addressing this very serious problem.
The importance of this sea change cannot be underestimated. It’s cause for real hope and celebration this Earth Day.
The bad news, of course, is that we still aren’t doing enough about climate change and we’ve lost a lot of time.
We now need to catch up with the European countries that signed the Kyoto Protocol and used the George W. Bush years to become global leaders in energy efficiency and solar, wind and other renewable energy technologies. These technologies are the primary strategies for addressing climate change because they reduce reliance on coal, oil and natural gas, the main culprits in global warming. They are also key to the much-heralded green economy.
To put the brakes on climate change we need to do more than just replace our incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents—though everyone please do this! Success depends on implementing completely new energy policies and practices on all levels of our society. While citizen pressure on Congress and the White House is still needed, it is clear that Obama will push the federal government in the right direction. States, too, are taking action on climate change. But none of this will be enough if “Main Street” is not involved.
Climate action by cities and towns — really by government on all levels — is essential.
Fortunately, despite a lack of initiative here in Western New York, a large number of U. S. cities have made serious commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by cutting back on fossil fuel use. These municipal climate action programs span the gamut — ranging from straightforward energy conservation projects to commitments to fight sprawl, improve building codes, buy or install solar and wind power, implement green purchasing practices and improve public transit.
Climate action programs
National leaders, including Austin, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Portland, Boston, New York City and a great many others, are developing climate action strategies.
In a state dominated by oil and gas interests, Austin is a Texas city like no other. It is also a sustainable energy leader. In 2007, Austin Mayor Will Wynn further enhanced his city’s green credentials by announcing a new climate action plan. Not mincing words, Wynn said, “Climate change may be the most critical issue we face today. . . . All the science points to catastrophic results if we don’t quickly get a handle on this growing crisis.”
A key Austin climate action strategy is to accelerate the already aggressive clean energy program of its municipal utility, Austin Energy, in order to achieve 700 megawatts in new conservation and efficiency savings and increase its supply of renewable energy resources to 30 percent by 2020. Austin is also requiring “zero net-energy” new homes by 2015. During that same period, energy efficiency for all new commercial buildings must be increased by 75 percent.
Closer to home, serious climate action is also occurring in the Rust Belt. Abandoned by its steel industry decades ago, Pittsburgh — like Buffalo — has been struggling to re-create itself, though with more success.
Pittsburgh released a highly detailed and inspiring climate action plan last year that calls for a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over a 15-year period. The plan contains more than 100 policy and program recommendations for city government, community agencies, businesses, public schools and higher education. Addressed is everything from LED traffic lights to bike racks, zip cars, increased labor union involvement, smart growth, improved recycling, incentives to restaurants to recycle waste grease, creation of sustainable businesses, green power purchasing and increased trolley car service.
How did nearby Pittsburgh produce such a remarkable plan? Excellent organization, communitywide involvement and strong personal commitment have a lot to do with it.
The Pittsburgh plan was created by a green government task force cochaired by Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl along with a city councilman and state senator. The effort was supported by Pittsburgh’s businesses, non-profits and foundations. The city’s Green Building Alliance and two national organizations — Clean Air-Cool Planet and ICLEI—provided technical assistance. A team of graduate students from Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz School of Public Policy also played a key role crunching numbers and identifying policy recommendations.
Public transportation is key
Cities on the progressive West Coast are also climate action leaders, notably Seattle and Portland.
In 2005, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels challenged mayors across the country to implement the Kyoto Protocol within their own cities’ boundaries because the Bush administration wasn’t doing it nationally. Since then, more than 900 mayors have signed the U. S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and agreed to reduce citywide greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent compared to 1990 levels by 2012. While not all these mayors and their cities have kept their word, Seattle has done so with an exemplary program.
In addition to the Kyoto commitment, Seattle is committed to reducing emissions by 30 percent by 2024 and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 — the latter threshold being the minimum scientists say is required to avoid climate catastrophe. Backing up its climate protection pledge are numerous programs and accomplishments.
A mainstay of Seattle’s climate plan is providing energy-efficient transportation alternatives — more bus services, new trolley lines and 50 miles of new bike lanes in 2008 alone.
While many cities, including Seattle, have programs to create energy-efficient new buildings, Seattle is forging ahead with a program to cut energy use in all its existing buildings by 20 percent by 2020. Among many other initiatives, 10,000 home energy conservation kits were distributed to city residents last year. The city also distributed 1.4 million compact fluorescent lights. Seattle is even using climate-friendly “slag” concrete, which emits half as much carbon dioxide as conventional concrete while it cures.
Amazingly, a recent survey showed that 75 percent of Seattle residents have taken action to reduce their carbon footprints.
Way back in 1993, Portland, Ore., became the first U. S. city to adopt a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Since then the city has reduced per capita emissions by 17 percent. Famous for its commitment to stop sprawl, Portland keeps adding new light-rail lines and has seen a 75 percent growth in public transit use in recent years. The city’s green citizens recycle more than 60 percent of their solid waste stream.
Recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions because it takes less energy to make products from recycled materials. Also, less throw-aways reduce the generation of landfill methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
Boston, New York lead way
At a recent conference, I heard Boston Mayor Thomas Menino give a rousing speech about his city’s commitment to the environment. And no wonder. He had just issued an executive order committing Boston to the U. S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
Menino’s plan creates a Mayor’s Community Climate Action Task Force and a citywide energy alliance to increase energy efficiency in all economic sectors. The Boston mayor also committed to Energy Star-compliant affordable housing, expansion of solar and wind energy, the planting of 100,000 trees and high efficiency standards and green building design for all new city and large developer-funded projects.
New York City is also fast becoming a climate leader—thanks in large part to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Immediately after giving an address on climate change to the U. N. General Assembly last year, Bloomberg compared global warming to terrorism—observing that while terrorism kills people, “global warming in the long term has the potential to kill everybody.”
New York City’s climate action plan was announced on Earth Day 2007 as part of “PLANYC—a Greener, Greater New York.” The report states that without intervention, New York City’s greenhouse gas emissions would grow by 27 percent by 2030. Given the already huge size of New York City’s carbon footprint, an increase of this magnitude could set back global efforts to slow climate change. In response, PLANYC sets a goal of “30 by 30”—an emissions reduction of 30 percent compared to 2005 levels by 2030 — to be accomplished by projects in four strategic areas: avoided sprawl (as the city grows by a projected 900,000 people), clean power, efficient buildings and sustainable transportation.
Bloomberg recognizes that a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is only a first step. PLANYC envisions much deeper cuts, perhaps by installing solar panels on the roofs of all city buildings. A solar roof strategy would meet nearly a fifth of the city’s electric needs during daylight hours.
Buffalo must do more
OK, so what’s happening in Buffalo? Sadly, not enough for a city of Buffalo’s stature. Mayor Byron Brown has been unresponsive to citizen requests that the city develop a climate action program. Nonetheless, there are some recent positive developments and thus some momentum to build on.
Earlier this month, Brown announced the first phase of a citywide energy conservation effort using $2.7 million in federal stimulus energy efficiency block-grant monies. It’s hoped that this investment will produce nearly $500,000 in energy savings in 30 city-owned community, recreation and senior centers by installing lighting, window, heating and air-conditioning retrofits and solar electric and thermal technologies. This is the first phase of a long-term strategy to implement $25 million in energy conservation improvements to 145 city-owned buildings. It follows earlier energy performance contract projects over the past 15 years.
Additionally, the city is championing a development concept known as “Buffalo Green Belt” to attract green energy companies to the South Buffalo area where the RiverWright ethanol plant is planned. Still missing from City Hall is a dedicated sustainability officer. However, Brown deserves credit for hiring Brian Reilly as his economic development commissioner. Reilly has substantial green credentials.
While few people know it, Buffalo is a signatory to the U. S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement — a commitment the city has not kept. Also little known is a 2001 promise Buffalo made to the international Cities for Climate Protection program. That promise brought University of Toronto graduate student Laurie Payne to Buffalo to complete a greenhouse gas emissions inventory. Her study gathers dust in City Hall while the next step in the CCP process — the development of a climate action plan—was never taken.
Falls is a bright spot
Filling out the local scene are Lackawanna, Jamestown and Niagara Falls.
Lackawanna Mayor Norman Polanski, who was instrumental and some would say visionary in bringing Steel Winds’ beautiful wind turbines to the edge of Lake Erie, is backing a very un-green carbon-intensive proposal to build a petroleum coke gasification plant in Lackawanna.
And in Jamestown, city leaders, with Gov. David Paterson’s support, continue to stubbornly push for a new coal-fire power plant. Even with some measure of carbon capture and sequestration, the costly $300 million plant they envision would emit nearly 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. Critics have argued the new power plant is entirely unnecessary.
The bright spot on the local scene is Niagara Falls. Environmentalist Mayor Paul Dyster is committed to making Niagara Falls a green city. While he has yet to develop a climate action plan, Dyster has initiated a wide range of environmental initiatives to save money, improve the quality of life and shrink Niagara Falls’ carbon footprint.
Solar power conference
Next month, as many as 5,000 energy professionals, experts and advocates will be trekking to Buffalo for Solar 2009, the nation’s premier solar energy conference. This once-in-a-lifetime event would be a great opportunity for Brown, Erie County Executive Chris Collins and other city and county leaders to announce a significant solar initiative and commitments to develop city and regional climate action plans.
Scientists worldwide are telling us that action is needed now. It would be great if leaders right here in Western New York recognized that and stepped up to the plate.
