Climate change is a global phenomenon. Every single one of us is responsible – and every single one of us is affected.
There’s no escaping this fact.
So you would think that we’d come together as a planet to address this environmental crisis.
And in many parts of the world, you do have top-down solutions coming from elected officials.
But in the US, it’s a very different story.
The incoming presidential administration seems hostile to the idea of man-made climate change. And it looks like global warming deniers will fill President-elect Trump’s cabinet.
Fortunately, that isn’t stopping individual communities from developing their own local green solutions. Regardless of what Washington thinks about global warming, cities all over America are doubling down on their climate change commitments.
Let’s take a look.
Examples of Local Green Solutions across the United States
We’ve already highlighted San Diego’s outstanding progress in an earlier article. The city has one of the most ambitious Climate Action Plans in the country, with a legally binding pledge to run entirely on green power by 2035.
San Diego’s also considering community choice aggregation – an initiative that will allow the local municipal government to buy electricity from clean power sources instead of from utility providers.
And we’re happy to announce that San Diego isn’t alone:
- Los Angeles recently passed a motion requiring its local utilities to develop a long-term plan to move the city off of fossil fuel completely.
- Miami Beach is currently working to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions dramatically over the next several years.
- San Antonio is dedicated to improving air quality to reduce the impact of record-breaking heat waves.
- New York is doing a massive overhaul of its skyscrapers to help boost their efficiency ratings and energy conservation.
And the list goes on and on.
Does that mean we’re in the clear?
No – not at all.
Washington Can Still Put a Halt to Local Green Progress
Many of the above initiatives are locally funded using municipal tax dollars. And when it comes to power generation, states have a tremendous amount of leeway in crafting their own policies.
But that doesn’t mean Washington can’t or won’t get involved.
After all, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates things like air quality, waste management, and energy production. So it’s possible that Trump’s newly appointed EPA director could make things more difficult for municipal and state governments.
It’s possible. But we’re hoping that it’s also very unlikely.
And it looks like others share this same attitude.
New York City’s Director of Climate Policy and Programs, Daniel Zarrilli, probably said it best,
“We’ll roll with the punches. And we will continue to draw hard lines around protecting residents here and taking action wherever we can.”
To learn how you can help implement local green solutions to combat global climate change, contact us today for a free consultation.
