A failed US climate bill and a stalled international treaty does not mean that nobody is doing anything to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Over the years while world leaders and bureaucrats have fiddled, cities around the world have been the champions when it comes to adopting tough measures to reduce their carbon footprints.
A new report by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), highlights 13 such cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
According to the CEC's executive director, Evan Lloyd this makes a lot of sense because "virtually all population growth over the next 30 years will occur in urban areas, so promoting action at the local level is one of the best ways to address environmental and climate challenges."
With leaner budgets and mayors looking at the upside of a green image, cities are taking common sense action and doing things like reducing the amount of energy used by municipally-owned buildings. For instance, Eugene, Oregon reduced its average energy consumption per unit of floor area in its buildings by 26% and the York Region of Greater Toronto reduced electricity consumption by 14% and natural gas consumption by 41% at its main administrative complex.
In Mexico City they are upgrading their lighting and estimate that by 2012 the annual energy savings will be a whopping 11 million kwh, not only saving the city a ton of money in the long run, but also giving bragging rights for avoiding an estimated 65,000 tonnes in greenhouse gas emissions since 2005.
In 2000, the City of Burlington, Vermont adopted a Climate Action Plan and they now use the same amount of electricity they did twenty years ago in 1990.
In 2007, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced PlaNYC 2030 - a blueprint for sustainability for the next quarter of a century for a city that has significant challenges in the areas of air pollution and population growth. As part of the plan, Bloomberg earmarked $80 million and signed an executive order requiring that all city-owned buildings reduce energy consumption by 30% in the next ten years.
There are many more case studies outlined in the CEC's report, but it is reassuring to know that while the political spats on Capitol Hill continue and the post-Copenhagen dialogues produce little more than hot air, our cities are stepping up to the plate and showing the leadership we need on climate change.
They say that all politics are local, but that rings most true for city politicians who see the major financial, environmental and political upside in taking practical steps to reduce energy consumption for the long-term.
So what other things are cities doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Let me know in the comment section below!
You can read the full CEC report here: Best Energy Management Practices in 13 North American Municipalities.