SR-6G (9)
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EPWM:EPD:CP:JM:DK:sm:sriclei Santa Monica, California
Council Meeting: April II, 1995
APR , , 1995
TO: Mayor and City council
FROM: city Staff
SUBJECT: Recommendation to Adopt a Resolution in Support of the
City of Santa Monica Joining the Cities for Climate
Protection Campaign
INTRODUCTION
This report requests that City Council adopt a resolution
supporting Santa Monica's inclusion as a member in the Cities for
Climate Protection Campaign, a program to promote local actions to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions developed by the International
council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), of which Santa
Monica is a member. By joining this voluntary program, the City
will commit to the establishment of a greenhouse gas reduction goal
and development of an action plan for achieving that goal. In
return, the City will receive free assistance from IeLEI for the
development and implementation of the action plan. Similar plans
implemented in other member clties have resulted in significant
energy and cost savings for those cities.
BACKGROUND
Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxlde (CO2) and other so-called
greenhouse gases (GHGs) have dramatlcally increased over the past
200 years due to human activities such as the burning of fossil
fuels for energy production, transportation, and industry. The
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APR 1 1 1995
scientific community warns that these increases will enhance the
earth's natural greenhouse effect by trapping more radiant heat,
significantly affecting the global climate. Global climate change
will likely result in rising sea levels, increase in the severity
and number of tropical storms, and marked changes in regional
precipitation patterns.
In an effort to address the issue of global climate change, ICLEI,
an international association of local governments dedicated to the
solution of local, regional, and global environmental problems,
launched the Urban CO2 Reduction ProJect in 1991. Six North
American cities and six European cities were chosen to participate
in this pilot project, which was designed to analyze and quantify
each city's GHG emissions and develop local action plans to help
the cities achieve a 20% reduction in emissions. Initial results
of the pilot proJect have shown that the p1lot cit1es have achieved
significant energy savings and corresponding financial savings by
taking steps to reduce their emissions.
Building on the success of the pilot program, IeLEI recently
initiated the cit1es for Cllmate Protection campaign. Funded by
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) , the campaign promotes
local action to reduce GHG emissions to a much wider group of
cities.
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DISCUSSION
The city was contacted by reLEr in December 1994 and asked to
participate in the Cities for Cllmate Protection Campaign. The
Campaign's stated goals are to: 1) strengthen local commitment to
reduce GHG emissions, 2) utilize management and planning tools
developed by rCLEI to determine local energy use and develop
strategies for conservation, 3) promote best practices to reduce
energy use in the building and transportation sectors, and 4)
enhance national and international ties by providing a collective
voice for municipalities.
To become a member of the Campaign, a city must pledge to develop
an action plan to reduce local emissions of GHGs; to reduce energy
use and emissions associated with municipally controlled
operations; and to undertake inltiatives to reduce GHG emissions
throughout the municipality. As this is a voluntary program, there
are no mandatory measures or reporting requirements. Participating
cities are free to choose their own specific goals, policies, and
programs, and there are no sanctions for not reaching specified
goals. There is no cost to become a member of the Campaign, since
IeLEI has received funding for the program from the EPA.
After joining the Campaign, each member city receives information
and assistance for developing the local action plan, as well as
copies of all publlcations that were developed in conjunction with
the Urban C02 Reduction Project. The Campaign also provides member
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cities with a framework for developing the analytical methods
necessary to quantify GHG emissions and a forum for exchanging
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information on successful programs and policies. In the future,
members may receive funding for program implementation. ICLEI
recently submitted a proposal asking the EPA to extend direct
funding to cities participating in the Campaign.
A typical action plan for achieving reductions in GHG emissions
contains energy efficiency programs and policies related to
transportation, buildings, resource management, and land use.
Typical programs include energy efficient retrofit of public
buildings and switching to alternative-fueled fleet vehicles.
These types of programs are currently in place or are being
developed as part of Santa Monica's sustainable City program, which
was adopted by the Council in September 1994. This being the case,
complying with the terms of membership in the Campaign will require
little more than implementing and refining the elements of this
existing program. It should be noted that Santa Monica recently
became a partner in the EPA's Green Lights program, which seeks to
reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions through the use of
cost-effective energy efficient lighting fixtures. The measures
implemented by the city as part of the Green Lights program are
consistent with the methods and objectives of the cities for
Climate Protection campaign.
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The city's Task Force on the Environment reviewed the goals,
objectives, and methods of the. cities for Climate Protection
Campaign and found them to conform with the sustainable city
Program goals of safeguarding and enhancing our environmental
resources, reducing our environmental impacts, providing for long-
term economic benefits, and protecting pUblic health. The
campaign's focus on global climate change ties in with one of the
guiding principles of the Sustainable City Program which states
that Santa Monica recognizes its link with the regional, national,
and global community, and that local environmental problems and
ameliorative actions cannot be separated from their broader
context. The Task Force unanimously approved a motion recommending
that Council approve the City'S membership in this program.
BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT
There is no significant fiscal impact associated w2th the adoption
of the resolution supportlng Santa Monica's membership in the
cities for Climate Protection Campalgn.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that City Counell adopt the attached resolution
supporting Santa Monica's membership ln the Cities for Climate
Protection Campalgn.
attachment: resolution
Prepared by: Craig Perkins, Director of Env. & Public Works
Jim Maskrey, Acting conservation Coordinator
Dean Kubanl, Administrative Analyst
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EPWM:CP:JM Santa Monica, California
Resolution Number 8885
(city Council Series)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA SUPPORTING
THE MEMBERSHIP OF SANTA MONICA IN THE
CITIES FOR CLIMATE PROTECTION CAMPAIGN
WHEREAS, the worldwide sClentific community believes that
carbon dioxide and other gases released lnto our atmosphere
are vlrtually certaln to have a profound effects on the
Earth's climate, lncluding increased average global
temperatures, more severe storm patterns, and hlgher sea
levels: all of which pose significant rlsks to both natural
ecosystems and human societies; and
WHEREAS, at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the
United States signed the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change, whl.ch calls for reducing greenhouse gas
emissions to 1990 levels by the end of the decade: and
WHEREAS, actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
and increase energy efficiency can provl.de multl.ple local
benefl.ts to the Cl.ty government and the communl.ty by:
decreasl.ng al.r pollutlon, creatlng jobs, reducing energy
expenditures, and saving money for the Cl.ty and lts cltizens;
and
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WHEREAS, the Cities for Climate Protection will provide
participating clties wlth:
I a framework for determining the sources of local
greenhouse gas emissions;
. information and assistance for developing a local
action plan to reduce energy demand and greenhouse
gas emissions; and
I helpful pUblications, including Climate Action Tool
K~ t for Mun~c~pal Hanagers and Prof~ t~ng from Energy
Eff~c~ency;
NOW THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA
MONICA DOES RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The City of Santa Mon1ca pledges to join with
cities from all over the world in the Cities for Climate
Protection Campaign.
SECTION 2. As a particlpant in the Cities for Climate
Protection Campaign, the City of Santa Monlca pledges to:
1- Take a leadership role in increasing energy efficiency
and reducl.ng greenhouse gas emlssions from Municipal
operations.
2. Develop a Local Action Plan to increase energy efficlency
and reduce greenhouse emissions throughout the cOmIlluni ty .
3. Be an advocate for energy efficiency and ellmate
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protectlon at the state and national levels.
SECTION 3. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoptlon
of this Resolution, and thenceforth and thereafter the same
shall be in full force and effect.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
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MARSHA JO~S MOUTRIE
CITY ATTORNEY
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Adopted and approved thIS 11th of ApnL 1995
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Mayor
I hereby eertIfy that the foregomg Resolutton 8885 (CCS) was duly adopted at a
meettng of the CIty Counell held on the 11th of Apnl, 1995 by the followmg vote
Ayes Counetlmembers Abdo. O'Connor, Greenberg, Genser, Rosenstem.
Ebner, Holbrook
Noes Councllmembers . None
Abstam. Councllmembers' None
Absent Councllmembers. None
ATTEST.
d .C.
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City Clerk