Mayor Curtatone Joins National Coalition of #ClimateMayors

SOMERVILLE – With 30 days to go before world leaders convene under the United Nations banner to negotiate a new global agreement to combat climate change, Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone joined Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti today in announcing his membership in the Mayors’ National Climate Action Agenda (MNCAA), along with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, bringing the total to 32 mayors and cities across the United States.

Also known as the #ClimateMayors (ClimateMayors.tumblr.com), the coalition is calling on the United States to demonstrate powerful leadership and steer the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, which begins in Paris on Nov. 30, toward a strong agreement that would lead to measurable improvements in the world’s climate, human health, and quality of life. Mayor Garcetti, a founding member of MNCAA, noted that amidst Congressional gridlock on climate action, America’s Mayors have stepped up to develop clean energy sources, build electric and alternative fuel infrastructure, and enforce green building standards as their cities have faced the increasing effects of climate change.

“When climate change contributes to drought, extreme weather, wildfires and flooding, cities are on the front lines, and we cannot afford political debate. We call on our nation’s leaders to act like Mayors and confront problems, not politics, and work toward truly meaningful national and global climate change policies that will make a difference in the health of our people and the health of our planet,” Garcetti, Curtatone, and the 30 other #ClimateMayors said in a joint statement. 

“The worst case climate change projections of tomorrow are based on the actions we take today, which is why cities are taking the lead in setting high goals for ourselves and chipping away at our contribution to the problem. We need our nation’s leaders—at every level of government—to do the same,” said Mayor Curtatone. “The facts, data and studies all beg our commitment to reducing carbon emissions, but there is one reason that is the most compelling: our children. I am the father of four sons. I will not abandon them, our children, or our children’s children to a world devastated by the scientific fact of climate change.”

The MNCAA—founded by Mayor Garcetti, Houston Mayor Annise Parker, and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter—commits U.S. mayors to working together to strengthen local efforts for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to supporting efforts for binding federal and global-level policymaking. The MNCAA is complemented at the international level by the Compact of Mayors, a global cooperative effort among more than 100 mayors and city officials committed to reducing local greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing resilience to climate change, and tracking progress transparently.

Mayor Curtatone has committed to making Somerville a leading city in fighting climate change. His SustainaVille initiative (somervillema.gov/sustainaville) sets a goal for the city to become carbon neutral by 2050 and, as a Massachusetts Green Community, Somerville will reduce municipal energy use by 20 percent of 2011 levels by 2017. The community also set a goal in the city’s 20-year comprehensive plan to have 50 percent of all new trips by transit, walking or biking by 2030.

To reach those goals, Mayor Curtatone has launched a number of efforts, including the widely recognized Somerville GreenTech program to pilot early-stage green technologies (somervillema.gov/greentech). Somerville is currently undertaking a greenhouse gas inventory that is Global Protocol for the Community-scale (GPC) compliant, replacing more than 4,000 high pressure sodium outdoor lighting fixtures with LEDs, and has purchased the City’s first four all-electric fleet vehicles and installed electric vehicle charging infrastructure. He currently serves as a member of the Metro Boston Climate Preparedness Commitment and has joined the Compact of Mayors.