Mayor Steve Hagerty Signs Chicago Climate Charter

EVANSTON, IL — Along with mayors of more than 50 other cities representing tens of millions of people, Mayor Steve Hagerty Tuesday signed on to the Chicago Climate Charter. The agreement pledges Evanston to take its own steps to meet the environmental goals laid out in the Paris Agreement following their rejection by President Donald Trump earlier this year.

By signing the charter at the first-ever North American Climate Summit, Evanston committed to continue addressing climate action at the local level, promising to reducing greenhouse gas emissions while expanding economic opportunity and improving quality of life, according to the city.

Hagerty was joined at the summit by mayors from Paris, San Francisco, Mexico City and Phoenix – His fellow "Climate Mayors," or Mayors National Climate Agenda, consists of the leaders of more than 377 cities from around the U.S. that work towards reducing emissions and binding environmental policies.

Former President Barack Obama delivered a keynote address and his former chief of staff, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, hosted the event.

"Rather than burying our heads in the sand, Chicago is working with cities across the country and around the world to address the threat of climate change," Emanuel said. "Even as Washington fails to act, cities have the power and will to take decisive action to protect our planet and the health and safety of our residents."
Hagerty posted deleted climate change data on the city's website in June, and in August, he announced the formation of a new Climate Action and Resilience Plan Working Group.

According to the City of Evanston, Hagerty also committed this year to the Sierra Club’s Mayors for 100% Clean Energy initiative, which supports a community-wide transition to 100 percent renewable energy.

» via the City of Evanston

Full text of the Chicago Climate Charter

WHEREAS, the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the "Paris Agreement") brings together 197 countries under a common framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, limiting global temperature rise to well below two (2) degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels; and

WHEREAS, the Paris Agreement embodies a global response to the decades-long scientific consensus that human activity is causing global temperatures to rise at unprecedented rates; and

WHEREAS, in specifically citing the importance of cities and local governments in engaging in climate action, the Paris Agreement calls upon individual countries to establish Nationally Determined Contributions towards greenhouse gas emissions reductions and climate resilience; and

WHEREAS, President Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement spurred over 380 cities in the U.S., numerous cities in other parts of North America, and countless organizations worldwide to commit themselves to the Agreement, and

WHEREAS, these commitments championed and organized by Climate Mayors, the We Are Still In campaign, and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy ("Global Covenant'), amongst others - demonstrate strong local leadership to citizens at home and abroad; and

WHEREAS, cities in North America, together with their counterparts around the globe, are engaged and ready to act; and

WHEREAS, The Global Covenant has called for member cities to set targets that are at least as ambitious as their respective countries' Nationally Determined Contributions, and through their commitments cities within North America are already on target to reduce emissions by 2.72 Gigatons CO2e by 2030 or the equivalent of taking over 585 million cars off the road; and

WHEREAS, the America's Pledge project will aggregate, quantify and report on progress made toward the U.S. target under the Paris Agreement and showcase collective momentum on climate action; and

WHEREAS, all cities, regardless of size, geography, or previous efforts, have opportunities to focus on actions that will result in a measurable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; and

WHEREAS, a number of cities are working to align their emission reduction plans with the 1.5°C global temperature goals articulated in Paris, and many cities have announced additional, more ambitious actions to reduce their emissions; and

WHEREAS, actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions are consistent with expanding economic opportunity, using government resources more efficiently, driving economic competitiveness and innovation, strengthening community resilience, and enhancing quality of life, equity, and inclusivity; and

WHEREAS, collective action to address climate change through mobility choices, energy use, waste, and sequestration supports quantified and scaled impact while creating long-term avenues for peer sharing; and

WHEREAS, residents of cities across North America are already experiencing the harmful impacts of climate change locally with increased frequency of heavy rainfall events, higher temperatures, more heat waves, and more frequent and intense storms, and these impacts are expected to worsen in the future, disproportionally affecting our most vulnerable populations; and

WHEREAS, as stewards of the long-term success of our communities, it is our responsibility to lead on this issue, engaging communities and enabling climate action, and

WHEREAS, now more than ever, working together we can lead our respective cities to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and create a roadmap for climate leadership throughout North America and across the world; now, therefore,

WE, parties to this charter, affirm our collective commitment, on behalf of our local jurisdictions, to:

1. Commitments of All Mayors Under the Chicago Charter (General Provisions)
   
   1. Achieve a percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equal to or greater than our nations' Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement in my city;
   2. Quantify, track and publicly reporting my city's emissions, consistent with standards and best practices of measurement and transparency;
   3. Advocate alongside other mayors for greater local authority and flexibility to develop policies and local laws that empower cities to take aggressive action on climate;
   4. Recognize and include in policy formation voices that have not been traditionally a part of discussions regarding climate change, including women, racial and ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and socially and economically marginalized communities,
   5. Incorporate the realities of climate change and its impacts into local infrastructure and emergency planning through strategies of adaptation and resilience,
   6. Support strong regional, state and federal policies and partnerships, in addition to private sector initiatives, that recognize the fiscal and social costs of carbon,
   7. Partner with scientific and academic experts, community organizations, businesses and investors, environmental justice groups, environmental advocates, and other allies to develop holistic climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience solutions.

» Full signed document (PDF)

Top photo: Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty prepares to sign the Chicago Climate Charter | City of Evanston