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SR-6G (9) 6~ ~, ~ '~1 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 1 6,~ I ! - 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. 2 -- 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 3 cities with a framework for developing the analytical methods necessary to quantify GHG emissions and a forum for exchanging , 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. 4 ~ 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 5 .",t;, 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 . "" 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 . . ~- 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: \ ~' 1 '. ;~, ..'kL<7 j1~ MARSHA JO~S MOUTRIE CITY ATTORNEY . , ... Adopted and approved thIS 11th of ApnL 1995 ~~ 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. . /&2u4 ?vC~ ,;'.": /nn V --- ~ City Clerk