Mayor and Council Back Goals Seeking to Counter Climate Change
The Mayor and Council on June 19 unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the Paris climate accord and reinforcing the city’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing Rockville’s resilience to climate change.
The Mayor and Council joined a coalition of more than 1,200 people, including state and local elected officials, and leaders in education, business and religion, who signed the “We Are Still In” letter in support of the agreement. The open letter states a commitment to a global effort to hold warming below two degrees Celsius and to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy.
Other signees include Montgomery County; Baltimore city; Gaithersburg; Garrett Park; College Park; Takoma Park; Washington Grove; Maryland’s treasurer and attorney general; the Commonwealth of Virginia; and Washington, D.C.
The resolution recognizes the Mayor and Council’s “strong legacy of commitments to climate leadership,” which includes signing the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement in 2006 and adopting resolutions to become a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Green Power Community, in 2011, and to enroll as a Maryland Smart Energy Community, establishing a 15 percent energy efficiency goal and 20 percent renewable energy goal for city facilities and operations, in 2013. It also states that the Mayor and Council will work with the community to develop a Rockville Climate Action Plan to reduce municipal and communitywide greenhouse gas emissions and recommend actions such as reducing energy consumption and growing the regional clean economy. It was recommended by the city’s Environment Commission.
Learn more and find video of the June 19 agenda item at www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter.