By Tara Prakash
Mayors and city councils play crucial roles in combating the climate crisis — as the chief executive officers in a community, they direct the structure and focus of city councils, appointing and removing department heads as needed.
Along with proposing, passing and ratifying laws, city councils represent the interests of their constituents by managing budgets and investigating local agencies when necessary. City councils are the central and chief policy-making bodies for their respective regions. For example, the D.C Council’s mission is “to provide strong, innovative and effective leadership for the benefit of residents across the city,” as stated on its website. By proposing and passing laws, city councils and mayors also serve as legislative bodies, ultimately catalyzing change.
And that is where we need them in the climate movement. It is crucial to move climate agendas forward, especially through city councils. According to Land Use Solutions, climate agendas are typically broken down into three main components: an inventory of existing progress, an identification of reduction goals or targets and an evaluation and prioritization of local actions to achieve those emission goals or targets. For society to fully and effectively create change, city councils must further address the climate crisis through climate agendas.
There have been several effective climate plans to model for future agendas. The Global Climate Action Agenda (GCAA) was initiated to propel climate action, boost cooperation and communication between governments and support the adoption of the Paris Agreement. Another example is the National Climate Action Plan (NCAP), which outlines the roadmap for adaptation and mitigation from 2011-2028. While these agendas have been successful, they are not enough.
Climate change is no longer a far-off threat; experts predict that we have eight years left before we begin to hit a tipping point from which there may be no return, according to Ark Valley. At that point, a climate agenda, regardless of how well designed or executed, will be unable to save us. Rising temperatures are propelling environmental degradation and natural disasters — sea levels are rising, the Arctic is melting, coral reefs are dying and forests are burning. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, 2019 was the second warmest year on record and the end of the warmest decade ever recorded. A new report from the United Nations states that rapid action on climate change is needed “to secure a liveable future.” According to the 2022 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report, there is “a growing recognition of climate risks and impacts as well as the need for urgent, systemic … action.”
While our divided Congress can be relentless in passing legislation, pieces of successful legislation have pushed through. The Green New Deal, for example, attempts to reduce greenhouse gases by calling upon the federal government to divert its focus away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy, ultimately decreasing national carbon emission rates. Additionally, the Build Back Better bill works to decrease emissions by providing tax credits to those purchasing and producing sustainable power sources such as wind, solar and nuclear power. Mayors and councils must draft and implement similar climate bills and policies.
There are several examples of mayors successfully initiating environmental projects and creating change. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels began the “U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement” in 2005, which seeks the pledges of mayors to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many mayors have joined the agreement since its announcement. Additionally, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner led 146 mayors in sending a letter to Congressional leadership calling for the passage of a recovery package to support cities addressing climate change.
By 2030, it could be too late. Mayors and city councils across the globe must enact climate agendas and implement them at the local level. The climate crisis is an overwhelming issue, but we can solve it, one city council at a time.
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