US mayors commit to climate resilience plans

22/06/2013

Nearly 50 mayors from cities across the country sign declaration advocating moves to cut environmental impacts and mitigate climate risk

Almost 50 US mayors have committed to make their communities more resilient to droughts, floods, extreme storms and wildfires, arguing that spending on defences against climate change-related events is more cost-efficient than cleaning up the aftermath.

Elected officials from across the country yesterday released a one-page plan under the Resilient Communities for America (RC4A) banner, including actions such as increasing the use of renewable energy, implementing energy efficiency programmes, preparing risk strategies and reducing their own carbon footprints.

The declaration reads: "Communities across the country are on the front lines of three related challenges: record-breaking extreme weather fueled by climate change, unreliable and costly energy and ongoing economic uncertainty. As the pace of change quickens, city and county governments must work to make communities more 'resilient': able to bounce back from disruptions in a sustainable way and maintain a good quality of life for all."

RC4A says extreme weather events cost the US around $188bn (£120bn) across 2011 and 2012, with Hurricane Sandy alone accounting for some $70bn of weather-related costs. In addition, four out of five Americans live in counties that were hit by at least one federally declared weather-related disaster in the last six years.

El Paso mayor John Cook told news agency Reuters the Texas city has suffered from three years of rains arriving in 2006, costing the municipality around $450m, while temperatures dropped below Alaska's in 2011, causing severe problems for energy infrastructure.

His administration has spent $100m to make buildings more efficient, installing solar panels and running buses on compressed natural gas to cut emissions.

"The state of Texas should hang their head in shame," Cook said. "They don't have realistic goal-setting to use renewable energy."

The RC4N declaration comes the week after New York mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a $20bn climate resilience plan for the city.

It also comes as reports emerged that president Barack Obama is poised to unveil long-awaited measures to curb US greenhouse gas emissions next month.

Rumours of Obama's climate plan have prompted the attorney generals of New York and nine other states, along with three major environmental groups, to announced they will delay taking threatened legal action against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as they wait to assess the content of the administration's plan.

The group of organisations had planned to sue the EPA this week because it missed a deadline in April to finalise emissions standards for new power plants.

"Due to public reports that the president will be announcing major action on climate change very soon, the attorney general has decided to postpone a lawsuit on this matter for a short period," said Melissa Grace, a spokeswoman for New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman.

By Le My

US mayors commit to climate resilience plans

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