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BOSTON
- Monday, November 16, 2020 - As the City of Boston continues to lead
nationally on urgent climate action, Climate Mayors today announced that
Mayor Martin J. Walsh has been named Chair of the coalition of 468 U.S.
mayors committed to bold environmental action and upholding the Paris
Climate Agreement. In this role, Mayor Walsh will help catalyze efforts to
combat climate change at the local level, provide an example of climate
action for leaders at all levels of government, and advocate for an
economic recovery founded in equity and environmental stewardship. Mayor
Walsh succeeds Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who founded Climate Mayors,
and has also served as the network's Chair since its launch in 2014.
"I'm
very proud to be named Chair of the Climate Mayors," said Mayor Walsh.
"As Mayors, we're close to the people we serve. We see how climate
change is already impacting the residents in our cities, and we know how
important it is for us to take decisive action for the sake of public
safety and public health. American cities have led on climate action for a
long time, and especially over the last four years. As we welcome in a
federal administration committed to urgent, bold climate policies, the
Climate Mayors are looking forward to accelerating our efforts."
In
the absence of national leadership over the last four years, Climate Mayors
has remained committed to the tenets of the Paris
Climate Agreement, which the Trump Administration withdrew from in
2017. In June 2018, the City of Boston hosted the International
Climate Mayors Summit, which provided a critical opportunity for some
of the most influential mayors and leaders to strategize, collaborate, and
learn from one another about approaches to the global crisis of climate
change. Climate Mayors has continued to advance and promote progress and
send a clear signal nationally and internationally that the U.S. has not
turned its back on its commitments. In July 2020, Climate Mayors sent
a letter to Congressional leaders advocating for bold investments in an
economic recovery that injects more resilience, equity, and sustainability
into our communities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Since
founding Climate Mayors in 2014, Mayor Garcetti has helped shape Climate
Mayors into a robust, engaged network of more than 450 members and cemented
it as a leading voice in climate advocacy," said James Ritchotte,
Director of Climate Mayors. "As we look ahead to this new phase under
the leadership of Mayor Walsh, the Climate Mayors network expresses its
deepest gratitude to Mayor Garcetti for galvanizing our membership and for
his commitment to addressing the climate emergency. We're honored to have Mayor
Walsh serve as the new Chair, knowing that he will expand on this legacy,
and drive an ambitious agenda focused on a green and equitable recovery
across the country."
Mayor
Walsh has made bold climate action a top priority since beginning his term
in 2014. The City of Boston's 2019
update to the Climate Action Plan outlined a five year roadmap to
accelerate action towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and put
Boston on track to meet the goals laid out in the Paris Climate Agreement.
In order to decarbonize large buildings, the City of Boston is currently
developing an emissions performance standard that, when implemented, is
projected to decrease citywide emissions nearly 40 percent by 2050. To
decrease municipal emissions, Mayor Walsh last year signed an Executive
Order for all new City-owned buildings to target a Zero Net Carbon standard,
and recently required that all
new affordable housing construction funded by the City must meet Carbon
Neutral performance standards.
Boston
continues to build on its long track record of driving down emissions while
simultaneously preparing for sea level rise, extreme temperatures, and
storms. In each year of Mayor Walsh's tenure so far, Boston has ranked
among the top
two cities in the country for energy efficiency by the American Council
on an Energy Efficient Economy, highlighting programs such as Renew
Boston Trust, Boston's long-standing building
energy benchmarking program, and the upcoming Community
Choice Electricity program. The City is also implementing climate
solutions to make Boston's most vulnerable communities more resilient to
the impacts of climate change. Climate
Ready Boston and Resilient
Boston Harbor are the City's comprehensive efforts to fortify Boston's
47-mile coastline against sea level rise and storm surges, while improving
public access to the waterfront and greenspace. These goals are supported
by Imagine
Boston 2030, Boston's first citywide plan in 50 years, that helps to
ensure that climate plays a role in all city planning and growth. |
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