City Of Pittsburgh: Mayor Peduto Issues Executive Order Committing Pittsburgh To Be Carbon Neutral By 2050

Press release from the City of Pittsburgh:

04.22.2021

PITTSBURGH, PA (April 22, 2021) Mayor William Peduto issued a sweeping Earth Day Executive Order today that builds upon Pittsburgh’s leadership in fighting climate change by committing the city to become fully carbon-neutral by 2050. 

The Order reviews concrete steps the Peduto Administration has taken the past seven years on climate change efforts and lays out the next moves City of Pittsburgh departments and authorities must make to further protect the environment. 

The centerpiece of the Order is Pittsburgh joining the ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability Network, in which communities agree to reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and GHG avoidance to a net-zero emission level at the latest by 2050. 

Mayor Peduto has been one of Pittsburgh’s leading environmental voices across three decades in local government. He is the North American representative to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, and in February joined international leaders including Special Presidential Envoy on Climate John Kerry, White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy and UN Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions Mike Bloomberg to celebrate the United States rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, among other accomplishments. 

“Climate change is a global issue but has severe local impacts on Pittsburgh residents, especially upon those in low-income communities who bear the brunt of negative impacts from rising temperatures, tainted air and water, and severe weather,” Mayor Peduto said. “The good news is we are taking serious steps to confront these issues and emerge from this crisis with a stronger economy and a better future for generations of Pittsburgh residents to come.” 

The Order celebrates the Administration’s successes and acknowledges the additional work to do to achieve its climate goals. Successes include: 

Going forward, the Order further requires: 

The full Order is available here. 

This press release was produced by the City of Pittsburgh. The views expressed here are the author’s own.