Alderman wants more teeth in climate policy
A city lawmaker says any local policy to counter President Donald Trump’s planned U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate accord should be more than just a memorializing resolution pledging to adhere to the 2016 multinational deal.
Alderman Douglas Koop said a city policy should, for example, include specifics about types of clean energy that would be used in place of fossil fuels.
“What do we mean by ‘clean energy by 2050’?” said Koop, D-Ward 2. “Do we mean wind, photovoltaic, geothermal?”
Mayor Steve Noble asked the Kingston Common Council in a June 2 letter to adopt a resolution committing the city to using “100 percent clean energy by 2050” and continuing to “support the principles of the Paris agreement.”
“Our children’s future will be irreparably harmed if we fail to care for our natural resources, acknowledge that climate change is real and do something productive to address and reduce further damage,” Noble wrote.
Noble noted that there already is a city policy, adopted in 2012, that states Kingston recognizes that “greenhouse gas emissions from human activity are catalyzing profound changes in climate and weather, the consequences of which pose substantial risks to the future health, well-being and prosperity of the community.”
Alderwoman Lynn Eckert said the resolution being pushed by Noble would send a message that the city is concerned about potential harm to the environment.
“To me, this is also about economic development,” said Eckert, D-Ward 1. “The type of businesses that we want to bring here are environmentally sustainable. When they see cities that have made symbolic statements ... they are going to look for cities around the country that are currently thriving.”
Alderwoman Maryann Mills said the proposed resolution won’t add to existing city policy.
“We already have a plan in place,” the Ward 7 Democrat said. “We have our climate action people ... working for us. I don’t think this does anything.”