Civic leaders from across the nation joined San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Tuesday to reveal results of survey to show how cities are combating climate change.
The survey of 158 cities nationwide, conducted by the Alliance for a Sustainable Future, found that 65 percent of cities use renewable electricity for municipal operations and 80 percent of municipal vehicle purchases are made in cities that have policies in purchasing sustainable vehicles.
Additionally, survey found more than 70 percent of cities have sustainable energy policies for new and existing buildings and many cities are working with businesses to identify solutions in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Breed said climate change was the defining issue of our time during a press conference at City Hall:
“The choice we make today, the commitments we can agree on and our sustained corporation, will determine whether or not we rise to the challenge.”
Breed added:
“Fighting climate change takes all of our cities working together to share information, practices and ideas so we can come up effective solutions that will protect our environment for generations to come.”
“The president’s decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement is not only short-sighted but is not representative of our nation’s leaders and their communities.”
Climate change effects are affecting cities around the world, including in New Bedford, Massachusetts where it was once of the biggest ports to bring lobster, said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell:
“We’re no longer that because the water has gotten warmer and those lobsters, even though they have those small legs have migrated north.”
Some mayors are heading back to the East Coast to deal with Hurricane Florence and Hawaii is being hit with a second hurricane within the last three weeks.
Hawaii is expected to be hit by a low-grade hurricane or tropical storm known as Olivia, according to the National Weather Service.
The mayors are here in The City to attend the Global Action Climate Summit takeing place from Wednesday through Friday with more than 300 events affiliated with the summit.
Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.
A 19-month-old girl who died after she was inadvertently left in a car by a family member on a...
Dozens of healthcare workers rallied outside of Laguna Honda Hospital, accusing the medical facility of creating unsafe conditions for...
Fire officials said an 82-year-old man was taken to a hospital after he fell about 80 feet down a...
