Climate Change Subject of Special Meeting

The City Council’s Consolidated Committee will hold a special meeting to consider a proposed resolution declaring a, “climate emergency.”

The resolution, which was introduced in the Council in January, would set a goal of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions in the city by 2030.

The agenda for the meeting, planned for October 3, 2019, includes a speaker list, including Jeff Howard of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Laura McMillan from the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, Kathering Lund of the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation at UConn, Alexander Williams from Blue Earth Compost, Matt Macunas from the Connecticut Green Bank, Karen Misbach, Sustainability Officer at CCSU and Professor Mark Silk of Trinity College.

A press release from Ald. Aram Ayalon (D-3) says that,

The New Britain Common Council Consolidated Subcommittee encourages all members of the public to attend a discussion on Climate Change and the effects it has on the City. The discussion will include suggestions on reducing the City’s carbon footprint.

The proposed Council resolution under consideration says that, “the death and destruction already wrought by global warming of approximately 1°C demonstrate that the Earth is already too hot for safety and justice as attested by increased and intensifying wildfires, floods, rising seas, diseases, droughts and extreme weather.”

The resolution seeks to have New Britain become one of, “a growing list of cities, districts and counties across the world,” that, “have recently declared or officially acknowledged the existence of a climate emergency.”

Saying that, “restoring a safe and stable climate requires an emergency mobilization on a scale not seen since World War II to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors at wartime speed,” the resolution adds that, “fairness demands a guarantee of high-paying, good-quality jobs with comprehensive benefits for all and many other tenants of a Green New Deal effort as the mobilization to restore a safe climate is launched.”

The resolution would set a goal for New Britain, “with appropriate financial and regulatory assistance from State and Federal authorities, end citywide greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible and no later than 2030.”

Under the proposal the city of New Britain would also call on the state and federal governments, to “a just transition and climate emergency mobilization effort to reverse global warming by restoring near pre-industrial global average temperatures and greenhouse gas concentrations.”

The resolution was introduced by Ayalon, Ald. Eva Magnuszewski (D-AL), Ald. Richard Reyes (D-AL), Ald. Brian Keith Albert (D-2), Ald, Daniel Salerno (R-AL) and Ald. Don Naples (R-4). Ald. Magnuszewski is the Council President.

The meeting of the Council’s Consolidated Committee on October 3rd is planned to begin at 7:00pm in City Hall.

The Consolidated Committee is chaired by Ald. Francisco Santiago (D-5).

Editor’s note (9/27/2019): The article was edited to include a quote from the press release.