Article Source: Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
Article Link: https://www.lamayor.org/mayor-garcetti-launches-la%E2%80%99s-green-new-deal
LOS ANGELES—Mayor Eric Garcetti today released Los Angeles’ Green New Deal, which sets aggressive goals for the city’s sustainable future, tackles the climate emergency with accelerated targets, strengthens the economy and middle class, and sets L.A. on course to be carbon neutral by 2050.
“Politicians in Washington don’t have to look across the aisle in Congress to know what a Green New Deal is — they can look across the country, to Los Angeles,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “With flames on our hillsides and floods in our streets, cities cannot wait another moment to confront the climate crisis with everything we’ve got. L.A. is leading the charge, with a clear vision for protecting the environment and making our economy work for everyone.”
L.A.’s Green New Deal is guided by four key principles: a commitment to uphold the Paris Climate Agreement; a promise to deliver environmental justice and equity through an inclusive green economy; a plan to ensure every Angeleno has the ability to join the green economy by creating pipelines to good-paying, green jobs; and a determination to lead by example within City government, showing the world what an urban Green New Deal looks like in practice.
The Green New Deal leads with bold action to zero out Los Angeles’ main sources of harmful emissions: buildings, transportation, electricity, and trash. The accelerated goals and new targets include:
- Building a zero-carbon electricity grid — reaching an accelerated goal of 80% renewable energy supply by 2036 as we lead California toward 100% renewables by 2045.
- Creating a Jobs Cabinet to bring the city, labor, educational, and business leaders together to support the effort to create 300,000 green jobs by 2035 and 400,000 by 2050.
- Mandating that all new municipally owned buildings and major renovations be all-electric, effective immediately and that every building in Los Angeles — from skyscrapers to single-family homes — become emissions-free by 2050.
- Achieving a zero waste future by phasing out styrofoam by 2021, ending the use of plastic straws and single-use takeout containers by 2028, and no longer sending any trash to landfills by 2050.
- Recycling 100% of wastewater by 2035; sourcing 70% of water locally — a significant increase from the existing pathway; and nearly tripling the maximum amount of stormwater captured.
- Planting and maintaining at least 90,000 trees — which will provide 61 million square feet of shade — citywide by 2021 and increasing tree canopy in low-income, severely heat impacted areas by at least 50% by 2028.
The Green New Deal’s targets solidify L.A.’s position as the national leader in solar energy, electric vehicle infrastructure, and green jobs. It incorporates initiatives from 44 partner organizations, employing a unique, collaborative, multi-sector approach to meeting the shared goals of a more sustainable, equitable city. The plan also calls for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 — outpacing the standards set by the United Nations IPCC report.
Taken together, by 2050, the work and milestones of the Green New Deal are expected to save more than 1,600 lives, 660 trips to the hospital, and $16 billion in avoided healthcare expenses each year.
Four years ago, Mayor Garcetti released Los Angeles’ Sustainable City pLAn — his vision for a more sustainable, prosperous, and just Los Angeles, built on three Es: the environment, the economy, and equity.
The City has already met or exceeded 90% of the pLAn’s near-term goals on time or early, and Angelenos have seen the results: L.A. became the number-one solar city in America, pioneered new transportation technologies, reduced the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 11% in a single year, and created more than 35,000 green jobs.
Here’s a glimpse at some of the other measures and accomplishments that have set Los Angeles on a path to carbon-neutrality by 2050:
- Developed comprehensive solar incentive programs for residents and businesses, which helped make Los Angeles the #1 Solar City in America.
- Named the #1 ENERGY STAR City by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for having the most energy-efficient buildings in the U.S.
- Launched an unprecedented feasibility analysis with LADWP to study an equitable transition from fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy.
- Signed the Fossil Fuel Free Streets Declaration alongside 11 other C40 Mayors — which pledges to procure only zero-emission buses by 2025 and ensures that a major area of Los Angeles will be emissions-free by 2030.
- Installed 2,100 publicly available electric vehicle charging stations — the most of any U.S. city — with a plan for another 10,000 by 2022.
- Created a national platform for municipal fleet procurement — the Climate Mayors EV Purchasing Collaborative — after 30 Climate Mayors cities demonstrated the potential demand for over 114,000 electric vehicles of all types, including trash trucks, street sweepers, semis, shuttles, and buses — representing $10 billion in investment.
For more information, or to download a copy of L.A.’s Green New Deal, visit: plan.lamayor.org