Santa Cruz, CA Endorsing the Kyoto Protocol

Santa Cruz, CA, US

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Type: Resolution

Status: Adopted on 3/22/05

Vote: Unanimous

Source File: http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/pw/ep/pdf/KyotoReso.pdf

Text:

RESOLUTION NO. NS-26,838
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ ENDORSING THE KYOTO PROTOCOL

WHEREAS, the weight of scientific authority has concluded that greenhouse gases caused by human activity are increasingly altering the Earth’s climate; and

WHEREAS, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization states unequivocally that the consensus of scientific opinion is that Earth’s climate is being affected by human activities; and

WHEREAS, the American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science all have issued statements in recent years concluding that the evidence for human modification of climate is compelling; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of State issued its “U.S. Climate Action Report” in May 2002, which concluded that “greenhouse gases are accumulating in the Earth’s atmosphere as a result of human activities, causing global mean surface air temperature and subsurface ocean temperature to rise”; and

WHEREAS, the effects of climate change are having the greatest impact on some of the poorest nations of our global community; and

WHEREAS, the pollution that causes global warming often affects poor and minority communities disproportionately; and

WHEREAS, the solution to global warming will require a significant reduction in greenhouse gases by all nations of the Earth, particularly by those industrialized nations that are currently making the greatest contribution of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere; and

WHEREAS, in 1997, after a 5-year development process, the United Nations negotiated an agreement, known as the Kyoto Protocol, in which mandatory targets on greenhouse gas emissions were established for the world’s leading economies; and

WHEREAS, as of December 16, 2004, 132 states and regional economic integration organizations have ratified the Kyoto Protocol; and

WHEREAS, the Kyoto Protocol will now be implemented, as the Russian legislature ratified the Kyoto Protocol in November 2004; and

WHEREAS, the United States of America, responsible for the production of 25% of the world’s greenhouse gases, has refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol; and WHEREAS, U.S. cities and states are undertaking efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions without the support of the Federal government; and

WHEREAS, since 1989, the City of Santa Cruz has implemented a number of measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and

WHEREAS, the City of Santa Cruz joined the Cities for Climate Protection initiative of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) in 1998 and became a formal member of ICLEI in 2001; and

WHEREAS, the City of Santa Cruz is charged with protecting the public’s health and the environment and is aware of its responsibility to the larger global community; and

WHEREAS, the problem of global warming cannot be resolved without the help and support of all citizens and their institutions.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Santa Cruz officially endorses the Kyoto Protocol and will endeavor to continue to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions until it reaches a climate neutral or “net zero” greenhouse gas contribution; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Santa Cruz calls on private citizens, employers, businesses, the University of California, and all cities, towns, and municipalities across America to join it in endorsing the Kyoto Protocol and to demonstrate a similar commitment to addressing the problem of global warming.