Beverly Press: Mayor announces progress with Green New Deal

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on May 31 released the third update of his Green New Deal, showing progress on ambitious targets he set three years ago, including a 36% reduction in L.A.’s citywide greenhouse gas emissions since 1990.

“When we laid out L.A.’s Green New Deal, we presented a vision for the sustainable and equitable future our children deserve – and three years later, we can proudly report on our incredible progress,” Garcetti said. “Los Angeles is a globally recognized climate leader because of so much more than what happens at City Hall. It’s the growing coalition of community, business and environmental justice leaders who have made it their mission to make this decade one of climate action.”

L.A.’s Green New Deal set aggressive goals for the city to address the climate emergency, strengthen its economy and middle class, and place the city on course to be carbon neutral by 2050. The plan is guided by the key principles of upholding the Paris Climate Agreement, delivering environmental justice and equity through an inclusive green economy, ensuring residents have the ability to join the green economy by creating pipelines to good-paying green jobs; and leading by example within city government, showing the world how urban Green New Deal operates in practice.

The city’s 36% reduction in citywide greenhouse gas emissions from the 1990 baseline outpaced the standards set by the United Nations. Last week, the city was recognized as the No. 1 Energy Star City by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, based on it having nearly 650 Energy Star-certified buildings and offering $195 million in cost savings through improved energy efficiency.

The latest update to the report shows significant progress in reducing Los Angeles’ main sources of emissions, including buildings, transportation, electricity, water and waste. The progress includes the installation of 577-megawatts of solar generating capacity; 82,000 acre feet per year in stormwater capture capacity; the installation of 18,205 commercial electric vehicle chargers, the most of any U.S. city; and the installation of 36,000 cool roofs. The city is also investing $150 million in energy efficiency programs for renters and affordable housing occupants, and investing $247 million in customer water conservation efforts.

“Los Angeles is taking an equitable, all-in approach to our transition to clean energy by 2035,” said Council President Pro Tempore Mitch O’Farrell, 13 District, chair of the council’s Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice and River committee. “This is the issue of our day. We either have a habitable city and planet, or we don’t. Making Los Angeles 100% carbon free by 2035, while meeting the benchmarks of the Green New Deal, is an imperative. In my committee, we will continue this hard work to ensure we meet our collective goal.”

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