Add Chicago to the list of U.S. cities taking the lead in the fight against climate change.
Yesterday, Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley unveiled a plan to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions to three-fourths of 1990 levels by 2020 and one-fifth of 1990 levels by 2050–the level recommended by most climate scientists.
The Chicago metropolitan area currently emits 34.6 million metric tons of greenhouse gases a year, according to city officials.
"When I became mayor, ‘climate change’ wasn’t on the radar for most cities, states and nations around the world – or even for most people," Daley said in a news release. "But I believed then and believe even more deeply today that when you do such things as planting trees and creating open space, when you invest resources to remove pollution from the air and encourage the construction of buildings that are smart for the environment, then you enhance quality of life for all the residents of the city."
The Chicago Climate Action Plan outlines 29 actions that can be taken for mitigating greenhouse gas in four areas: buildings; transportation; energy; and waste pollution.
Some of the steps the city is considering include:
- Large scale solar energy installations at City facilities
- New partnerships to make it easier for residents and businesses to take greater advantage of public transportation
- The construction of four publicly accessible alternative fueling stations.
- Implementation of key components of the Chicago 2015 Bike Plan.
- A communications and outreach plan to engage all residents and businesses in the Chicago Climate Action Plan.
The Plan also identifies actions that individuals can take, such as:
- Driving less and walking more
- Using more energy-efficient light bulbs
- Turning down the thermostat a few degrees in winter or up a few degrees in summer
- Insulating and weatherizing homes
- Turning off appliances and computers when they’re not in use
- Planting trees and shrubs to reduce temperatures
"We can continue to lead by example and the Chicago Climate Action Plan is the next step. We can’t solve the world’s climate change problem in Chicago, but we can do our part. We have a shared responsibility to protect our planet," Daley said.
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