Santa Cruz, CA Endorsing the Kyoto Protocol

Type: Resolution
Status: Adopted on 3/22/05
Vote: Unanimous
Source File: http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/pw/ep/pdf/KyotoReso.pdf
Text:
RESOLUTION NO. NS-26,838
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ ENDORSING THE KYOTO PROTOCOL
WHEREAS, the weight of scientific authority has concluded that greenhouse gases
caused by human activity are increasingly altering the Earth’s climate; and
WHEREAS, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change created in 1988 by the
World Meteorological Organization states unequivocally that the consensus of scientific opinion
is that Earth’s climate is being affected by human activities; and
WHEREAS, the American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union,
and the American Association for the Advancement of Science all have issued statements in
recent years concluding that the evidence for human modification of climate is compelling; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of State issued its “U.S. Climate Action Report” in
May 2002, which concluded that “greenhouse gases are accumulating in the Earth’s atmosphere
as a result of human activities, causing global mean surface air temperature and subsurface ocean
temperature to rise”; and
WHEREAS, the effects of climate change are having the greatest impact on some of the
poorest nations of our global community; and
WHEREAS, the pollution that causes global warming often affects poor and minority
communities disproportionately; and
WHEREAS, the solution to global warming will require a significant reduction in
greenhouse gases by all nations of the Earth, particularly by those industrialized nations that are
currently making the greatest contribution of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere; and
WHEREAS, in 1997, after a 5-year development process, the United Nations negotiated
an agreement, known as the Kyoto Protocol, in which mandatory targets on greenhouse gas
emissions were established for the world’s leading economies; and
WHEREAS, as of December 16, 2004, 132 states and regional economic integration
organizations have ratified the Kyoto Protocol; and
WHEREAS, the Kyoto Protocol will now be implemented, as the Russian legislature
ratified the Kyoto Protocol in November 2004; and
WHEREAS, the United States of America, responsible for the production of 25% of the
world’s greenhouse gases, has refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol; and
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WHEREAS, U.S. cities and states are undertaking efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas
emissions without the support of the Federal government; and
WHEREAS, since 1989, the City of Santa Cruz has implemented a number of measures
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Cruz joined the Cities for Climate Protection initiative of
the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) in 1998 and became a
formal member of ICLEI in 2001; and
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Cruz is charged with protecting the public’s health and the
environment and is aware of its responsibility to the larger global community; and
WHEREAS, the problem of global warming cannot be resolved without the help and
support of all citizens and their institutions.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Santa Cruz officially endorses
the Kyoto Protocol and will endeavor to continue to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions until it
reaches a climate neutral or “net zero” greenhouse gas contribution; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Santa Cruz calls on private citizens,
employers, businesses, the University of California, and all cities, towns, and municipalities
across America to join it in endorsing the Kyoto Protocol and to demonstrate a similar
commitment to addressing the problem of global warming.
Category:California
Category:City Governments
Category:Climate Policy
Category:Resolutions
Category:Santa Cruz