Cleveland Must Act Rapidly On Climate Change
To Mayor Justin Bibb and City Council members
Many climate scientists predict that we will reach 1.5 degrees Celsius of human-induced global warming by 2024. The U.S. has one of the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions in the world. The current mega drought in the Southwest is just one example of climate change affecting our country, and we are not immune to the effects of climate change in the Midwest and in northeast Ohio. Therefore, in order to help with keeping global warming under 2 degrees Celsius and avoid the worst catastrophic effects that warming of that level would cause, all cities must do their part to mitigate climate change in an environmentally just and sustainable way, as well as adapt to worsening severe weather conditions.
Sponsored by
To:
To Mayor Justin Bibb and City Council members
From:
[Your Name]
We, the undersigned, demand that the city of Cleveland urgently mitigate and adapt to climate change by taking these actions:
- Officially declare a citywide Climate Emergency.
- Pass binding legislation to make Cleveland carbon-neutral by 2030.
- Rapidly transition Cleveland's electric grid away from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas towards a diverse mix of clean and renewable energy, such as wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear.
- Protect our existing green space (trees, parks, and community gardens) from being destroyed by development, and keep our green spaces safe for humans, pets, and wildlife by ending pesticide use on public property, such as the grass treatment currently used on The Mall lawn.
- Mitigate climate-change related flooding by drastically expanding the amount of rain gardens and by, wherever possible, restoring non native turf grass lawns into natural habitats of native grasses, flowers, shrubs, and trees to combat the large amount of impermeable surfaces in the city.
-Invest in public transit over car-centric infrastructure and decrease the price of the RTA to lower transportation emissions and make pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users more welcome.
- Require new housing to be both carbon-neutral and affordable for our lowest-income populations, as well as removing anti-homeless infrastructure, such as bumps, spikes, and extra armrests on seats and benches on all city owned property.
Sincerely, Fridays For Future Cleveland And Supporters