The Baltimore City Council has unanimously passed a resolution to uphold the Paris Climate Agreement! This exciting victory took place on June 19th and indicates Baltimore City’s commitment to environmental justice while denouncing President Trump’s climate policy. Although this resolution is not legally binding, it signifies Baltimore City’s commitment to the health and wellbeing of its residents for generations to come. Baltimore’s mayor, Catherine Pugh, also recently endorsed the Paris Climate Agreement, so the further support from City Council is a strong step in the right direction.
On Monday evening, a rally and press conference were held at City Hall, leading up to the vote. Several members of the City Council spoke at the rally, reiterating the importance of passing the resolution. Partners in the Baltimore Peoples Climate Movement, led by Tamara O'Laughlin, the ED of MD Environmental Health Network, worked to create a comprehensive list of commitments for the city. Going beyond expectations, the City Council retained the entire list in the resolution. Even more notable, the push for this resolution was led by two high school students, Claire Wayner and Mercedes Thompson. They are both part of Baltimore Beyond Plastic, a student group dedicated to moving Baltimore to a future that doesn't rely on fossil fuels or polluting plastics. These students worked with Councilman Zeke Cohen and Tamara to take the resolution from draft to vote in only two weeks!
The Paris Climate Agreement strengthens the ability of countries to mitigate the effects of climate change, adapt to the changing environment, and most importantly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to slow down the increase in global temperatures. The Climate Agreement aims to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees celsius. As part of this international agreement, the United States had committed to decrease emissions by 26-28% of the 2005 levels. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement in early June.
The resolution passed by the Baltimore City Council goes far beyond simply upholding the Paris Climate Agreement. The resolution lays out an agenda of specific actions for the city to secure a clean energy future while striving to improve equity and affordability for all residents. Furthermore, this resolution describes specific courses of action the city should take to increase the health and safety of all generations, while consciously making Baltimore a national leader in environmental justice.
The resolution calls for Baltimore City to use 100% renewable energy by 2050. This includes supporting offshore wind development in Maryland and consuming the locally generated renewable energy in municipal buildings. The resolution also encourages wind technology development in the city, which would bring jobs to local residents. In order to make Baltimore more just and equitable, the resolution calls to increase assistance programs for residential energy conservation, efficiency, and affordability. It is essential to ensure the transition to renewables remains affordable and accessible to all Baltimore City residents.
Another exciting component of the resolution is the push to disincentivize incineration. Incineration of waste produces and releases harmful greenhouse gases in the air, which not only contributes to warming the planet, but also is detrimental to the health of those near the incinerator. Incinerators release harmful particulates into the air increasing the risk of asthma and cancer. Just as concerning, incinerators release other toxins such as lead and mercury. These contaminate the environment and damage public health. The resolution encourages the creation of a new and comprehensive waste management plan with the goal of ending the use of trash incinerators in order to protect the health of the surrounding community. Trash incineration is a major issue of environmental justice, so this is a very promising component of the resolution. Now, it is important to hold the council members accountable and use this as a reason to retire the BRESCO trash incinerator that sits in the heart of Baltimore and is the largest source of several air pollutants. Transitioning away from generating energy from incinerators is another step towards the goal of 100% renewable in 2050.
This resolution focuses on Baltimore City residents by promoting access to reliable transportation, healthy food, and a safe, clean environment. Some other components include: citywide door-to-door composting, sustainable land development, and supporting local agriculture. The resolution passed by the Baltimore City Council publicly announces the city’s support for the Paris Climate Agreement, but it goes farther to announce support for its own residents. The passage of this resolution is a positive step towards Baltimore City’s continuing development and an equitable, safe future for each Baltimore City resident. The next step is to ensure that Baltimore City Council members are held accountable to this vote! While the resolution is symbolically powerful, the city now needs new concrete policies. Residents of Baltimore City must remain engaged and push for real implementation of the resolution.