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Board Commits To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emmissions |
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Posted by Westchester.com
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Thursday, 11 September 2008 |
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 White Plains, NY - The Westchester County Board has unanimously approved a resolution that commits the county to reducing greenhouse gas emissions within the county.
“Climate change is the defining issue of the 21st Century,” stated County Legislator Tom Abinanti (D-I-WF, Greenburgh), resolution sponsor and Chair of the Environment & Energy Committee. “We can’t ignore the science any further -- we need to understand and act on its findings.”
The resolution includes a county commitment to the following four elements:
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% below 2005 emission levels by 2015, and by 80% by 2050;
- Creating an inventory of county-wide greenhouse gas emissions;
- Developing and implementing a county-wide plan for meeting emissions reduction;
- Providing leadership through public education and partnerships.
Abinanti noted that the resolution applauds recommendations produced by the County Executive’s Global Warming Task Force, which included numerous and varied stakeholders. “The County Executive has led in addressing the issue so far with the task force he constituted,” said Abinanti. “It’s important that the legislature use its muscle to build on that initiative and create a mandate for climate-conscious choices across all sectors of the county.”
According to the National Association of Counties (NACo), many counties across the nation have committed to similar emission reduction/climate policy programs. Abinanti said that he learned of the proactive steps counties can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through NACo, which has developed numerous resources to assist counties in tackling global warming and other public policy challenges. “Climate change is a global issue but the battle must be waged on many fronts,” said Abinanti. “Together with other counties, we must each act locally while thinking globally.”
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