Mayors Climate Protection Agreement

The U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement is a voluntary initiative in which participating mayors commit their cities to taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Signatory mayors adopt the goals of the Kyoto Protocol; namely, to reduce their cities’ greenhouse gas emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. The Mayors Climate Protection Agreement is an initiative of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and was unanimously endorsed by the conference at its annual meeting in June 2005. As of August 2009, 969 mayors from all 50 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico had signed the agreement, representing nearly 85 million people.

The Mayors Climate Protection Agreement has three main aspects. First, it urges state governments and the federal government to enact programs to meet Kyoto climate change goals, particularly through the development of renewable energy and fuel-efficiency technologies. Second, the initiative calls on Congress to adopt legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It urges that this legislation include specific timetables and emission limits and that it create a market-based national emissions-trading system. Third, the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement lists a number of specific recommended actions that mayors may take to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol goals in their cities. The first suggested action is taking an inventory of city emissions and coming up with a clear plan to achieve reduction targets. The other actions include those that focus on city operations, those that address public policy, and those that attempt to influence the behavior of individuals in the city. Suggested changes in city operations include retrofitting city buildings for energy efficiency, purchasing Energy Star appliances, and converting city fleets to more fuel-efficient vehicles. Public policy changes include land use and zoning policies that make the city more walkable, increase green space and urban forests, and promote energy-efficient building practices. City efforts to influence individual behavior include climate change education programs, campaigns to encourage increased recycling, and incentive programs for carpooling, bicycle riding, and alternative transportation. Though listing a number of actions that participating cities may take, the agreement is clear that it is strictly voluntary, that the listed action items are just suggestions, and that they are not exhaustive of the steps cities may take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement was launched by Seattle mayor Greg Nickels on February 16, 2005, the day the Kyoto Protocol went into effect for the 141 countries that had ratified it. The United States, having declined to ratify the treaty, was not a party to the Koto Protocol, and the initiative was promoted by Mayor Nickels as a response to federal inaction on the issue of climate change. The original goal was to have at least 141 mayors sign the agreement by the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting in June of that year, symbolizing the 141 countries that had ratified the Kyoto Protocol. This goal was achieved, and at the annual meeting the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement was unanimously endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. In addition to endorsing the agreement, the U.S. Conference of Mayors stated its commitment to encouraging cities to join the agreement and to work with appropriate civil society organizations to track progress and implementation of the initiative. Though somewhat more concentrated in Democratic-leaning states, the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement has significant bipartisan support, being adopted by Republican and Democratic mayors alike in cities of all sizes and in every state in the country.

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