HomeMy Public PortalAbout2007-10 US Mayors Climate ProtectionRESOLUTION NO 2007-10
A RESOLUTION OF THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF THE
VILLAGE OF KEY BISCAYNE, FLORIDA, SUPPORTING
THE US CONFERENCE OF MAYORS RESOLUTION
ENDORSING THE U S MAYORS CLIMATE PROTECTION
AGREEMENT, PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE
WHEREAS, the Village Council of the Village of Key Biscayne (the "Village") is
concerned with mcreasmg concentrations of global warming pollution throughout the world, and
WHEREAS, the Village Council as well as the U S Conference of Mayors support the
reduction of global warming pollutants that lead to climate disruption and global warming, and
WHEREAS, the Village Council supports the U S Conference of Mayors Resolution
endorsing the U S Mayors Climate Agreement, as amended at the 73rd Annual U S Conference
of Mayors meeting, attached as Exhibit "A" to this Resolution, and
WHEREAS, the Village Council fords that it is m the best interest of the Village to adopt
this Resolution
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE
OF KEY BISCAYNE, FLORIDA, AS FOLLOWS
Section 1 Recitals Adopted That each of the recitals stated above is hereby
adopted and confirmed
Section 2 Approval of Support The Village Council hereby supports the U S
Conference of Mayors Resolution endorsing the U S Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, as
amended at the 73rd Annual U S Conference of Mayors meeting, attached as Exhibit "A "
Section 3 Transmittal to the U.S Conference of Mayors The Village Clerk is
hereby authorized to transmit this Resolution to Tom Cochran, Executive Director, U S
Exhibit A
Resolution Endorsing the U S Mayors Climate
Protection Agreement
WHEREAS, the U S Conference of Mayors has previously adopted strong policy resolutions
calling for cities, communities and the federal government to take actions to reduce global
warming pollution, and
WHEREAS, the Inter -Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the international
community's most respected assemblage of scientists, has found that clumate disruption is a reality
and that human activities are largely responsible for increasing concentrations of global warming
pollution, and
WHEREAS, recent, well -documented impacts of climate disruption include average global sea
level increases of four to eight mches durmg the 20th century, a 40 percent decline in Arctic sea -
ice thickness, and mne of the ten hottest years on record occurring in the past decade, and
WHEREAS, climate disruption of the magnitude now predicted by the scientific commumty will
cause extremely costly disruption of human and natural systems throughout the world including
increased risk of floods or droughts, sea -level rises that interact with coastal storms to erode
beaches, inundate land, and damage structures, more frequent and extreme heat waves, more
frequent and greater concentrations of smog, and
WHEREAS, on February 16, 2005, the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to address
climate disruption, went into effect in the 141 countries that have ratified it to date, 38 of those
countries are now legally required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on average 5 2 percent
below 1990 levels by 2012, and
WHEREAS, the Umted States of America, with less than five percent of the world's population,
is responsible for producing approximately 25 percent of the world's global warming pollutants,
and
WHEREAS, the Kyoto Protocol emissions reduction target for the U S would have been 7
percent below 1990 levels by 2012, and
WHEREAS, many leading US companies that have adopted greenhouse gas reduction programs
to demonstrate corporate social responsibility have also publicly expressed preference for the US
to adopt precise and mandatory emissions targets and timetables as a means by which to remain
competitive in the international marketplace, to mitigate financial risk and to promote sound
investment decisions, and
WHEREAS, state and local governments throughout the Umted States are adopting emission
reduction targets and programs and that this leadership is bipartisan, coming from Republican and
Democratic governors and mayors alike, and
WHEREAS, many cities throughout the nation, both large and small, are reducing global
warming pollutants through programs that provide economic and quality of life benefits such as
reduced energy bills, green space preservation, air quality improvements, reduced traffic
congestion, improved transportation choices, and economic development and job creation through
energy conservation and new energy technologies, and
WHEREAS, mayors from around the nation have signed the U S Mayors Climate Protection
Agreement which, as amended at the 73rd Annual U S Conference of Mayors meeting, reads
The U S Mayors Climate Protection Agreement
A We urge the federal government and state governments to enact policies and programs to meet
or beat the target of reducing global warming pollution levels to 7 percent below 1990 levels by
2012, including efforts to reduce the United States' dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate the
development of clean, economical energy resources and fuel -efficient technologies such as
conservation, methane recovery for energy generation, waste to energy, wind and solar energy,
fuel cells, efficient motor vehicles, and biofuels,
B We urge the U S Congress to pass bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation that
includes
1 Clear timetables and emissions luruts, and
2 A flexible, market -based system of tradable allowances among emitting industries,
and
C We will strive to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets for reducing global warming pollution
by taking actions in our own operations and communities such as
1 Inventory global warming emissions in City operations and in the community, set
reduction targets and create an action plan,
2 Adopt and enforce land -use policies that reduce sprawl, preserve open space, and
create compact, walkable urban communities,
3 Promote transportation options such as bicycle trails, commute trip reduction
programs, incentives for car pooling and public transit,
4 Increase the use of clean, alternative energy by, for example, investing in "green
tags", advocating for the development of renewable energy resources, recovering
landfill methane for energy production, and supporting the use of waste to energy
technology,
5 Make energy efficiency a priority through building code improvements, retrofittmg
city facilities with energy efficient lighting and urging employees to conserve
energy and save money,
6 Purchase only Energy Star equipment and appliances for City use,
7 Practice and promote sustainable building practices using the U S Green Building
Council's LEED program or a similar system,
8 Increase the average fuel efficiency of municipal fleet vehicles, reduce the number
of vehicles, launch an employee education program mcludmg anti -idling messages,
convert diesel vehicles to bio-diesel,
9 Evaluate opportunities to increase pump efficiency in water and wastewater
systems, recover wastewater treatment methane for energy production,
10 Increase recycling rates in City operations and in the community,
11 Maintain healthy urban forests, promote tree planting to increase shading
and to absorb CO2, and
12 Help educate the public, schools, other jurisdictions, professional
associations, business and industry about reducing global warming pollution
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The U S Conference of Mayors endorses the
U S Mayors Climate Protection Agreement as amended by the 73rd annual U S
Conference of Mayors meeting and urges mayors from around the nation to join this effort
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, The U S Conference of Mayors will work m conjunction with
ICLEI Local Governments for Sustamability and other appropriate organizations to track progress
and implementation of the U S Mayors Climate Protection Agreement as amended by the 73rd
annual U S Conference of Mayors meeting
Conference of Mayors, located at 1620 Eye Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
Section 4 Effective Date That this Resolution shall be effective immediately
upon adoption hereof
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 10th day of April , 2007
MAYOR ROBERT L VERNON
AT
edt/a/eb,
CONCHITA H ALVAREZ, CMC, VILLAGE CLERK
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGAL SUFFICIENCY
VILLAGE OR