In a 3-1 vote along party lines last week, commissioners in the most populous county in Texas approved a plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions and advance environmental justice. Sierra Club 2023.The Sierra Club Seal is a registered copyright, service mark, and trademark of the Sierra Club. But beyond planting trees, one of the goals is to make Houston a leader in developing carbon-capture technology. Andrew Schneider is the senior reporter for politics and government at Houston Public Media, NPR's affiliate station in Houston, Texas. Read more, Extreme heat could put 40% of land vertebrates in peril by end of century Sustainability and resiliency go hand-in-hand and this plan is essential to the health and economic vitality of Houstons future. The plan will demonstrate how the City will adapt and improve its resilience to climate hazards . City of Houston - Mayor's Office of Resilience and Sustainability | 611 Walker Street, 13th Floor | Houston, TX 77002, Read the April 22, 2020 Press Release (.html), Houston Climate Action Plan Summary (.pdf), Houston Climate Action Plan Flyer (.pdf), Sign Up for CAP Implementation Working Groups. Adopt long range solid waste plan in 2020. Its a technical issue, how do we remove the carbon from a gas stream? It also recommends installing up to 20 megawatts of solar power and 10 megawatt-hours of battery storage by 2025. Current context, indicators of "city readiness", what makes Houston unique. Houton - In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Mayor Sylvester Turner and the City of Houstons Office of Sustainability today released the Houston Climate Action Plan, a science-based, community-driven strategy for the City of Houston to reduce greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions, meet the Paris Agreement goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, and lead a global energy transition. As part of the contract renewal, the City will power all municipal Mayor Sylvester Turner serves as Chair of Climate Mayors - a nationwide coalition of 474 U.S. city mayors who have committed to fighting climate change. Experts say its an important first step, but the plan has lots of limitations. By Katie Watkins & Jen RiceJune 17, 20202:03 pmEnergy & Environment, Houston Public Media, Partner Organizations, Texas Newsroom. Built on existing efforts, the plans recommend new programs, projects, and policies that will help Houston prepare, adapt, and recover from shocks and stresseslike the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme weather, systemic inequities, and more. After six major flooding disasters in five years, Houston finally debuted its first-ever Climate Action Plan. Overall, Houstons greenhouse gas emissions have decreased since 2007, primarily due to increases in residential energy efficiency and more renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power being built. The refineries and petrochemical facilities along the Houston Ship Channel, for example, are excluded from the plan. Produced by Shannon Lin , Carlos Prieto , Diana Nguyen and Michael Simon Johnson. Other sources of emissions include manufacturing, waste, and fugitive emissions (4%). The Houston Advanced Research Center and C40 provided technical support, funded by CenterPoint Energy and the Jacob & Terese Hershey Foundation. Grist is powered by WordPress VIP. var d=new Date(); Structuring a long-term 50-100 megawatt power purchase agreement. Even with the planned reduction in emissions, it still wont be enough for the city to reach net-zero. Jordan Macha with Bayou City Waterkeeper, said shes concerned about what happens when the next mayor takes office. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Its Thursday, January 19, and the Houston area has adopted a climate action plan. Twitter, Follow us on City of Houston. Chris Mooney, The Washington Post (1/2) Mayor Turner Applauds Energy Leaders on Innovative Recycling Center, September 9 The City is a member of C40, a network of the worlds megacities committed to addressing climate change, and Mayor Turner co-chairs Climate Mayors, a bipartisan network of almost 450 U.S. mayors demonstrating leadership on climate action. Willy Verbrugghe thechairman of the Belgian Chamber of Commerce of Texas will moderate the panel. Also linked below is a new Sierra Club Climate Resilience Policy document, which outlines the urgencyfor enhancing Climate Resilience and carbon dioxide removal. Houston Climate Action Plan Presentation:http://greenhoustontx.gov/climateactionplan/20190508-presentation.pdfNote: there is a survey link on page 21 of the above presentation pdf file.And here is a direct link to that survey:https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HoustonCAPSan Antonio has also been developing their own Climate Action Plan.Below is the link to the draft of their Plan. On April 22, 2020 the 50th anniversary of Earth Day the City launched the science-based, community-driven Houston Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, meet the Paris Agreement goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, and lead the global energy transition. Successfully managing the energy transition is by no means straightforward and, therefore, calls for bold leadership and greater collaboration. Collaborating with government, academic, private industry, and community leaders, our goal is to improve Mayor Sylvester Turner announced today that the City of Houston has committed to purchasing 100% renewable energy through a renewed partnership with NRG Energy as the Citys retail electric provider. var d=new Date(); Melba Newsome, Public Health Watch and Investigative Reporting Workshop The measures the county is proposing to reach. 8/30/2021 Rail News: Passenger Rail Houston's METRO adopts sustainability statement advertisement The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) has adopted the agency's first. Original music by Marion Lozano. Join Mayor Turner, city departments, and other city-partnered organizations in front of city hall from 10 a.m. 2 p.m. for demonstrations, hands-on activities, displays, food, information, and interactive booths showcasing city initiatives highlighting a cleaner, greener Houston. If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation here. June 23, 2023. Read more, Toxic firefighting foam persists in US despite calls for a ban Mayor Turner Announces TCEQ Approval Of Largest Urban Solar Farm In The Country, March 23 Creating the City of Houstons first climate action plan has been an incredible adventure, but the real work begins with implementation, said Lara Cottingham, Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Houston. According to the city's website, municipal landfills are the. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy. Harris County's Climate Action Plan for Internal Operations aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030 compared to the base year of 2021. The EPA was on the cusp of cleaning up Cancer Alley. Then it backed down. Houston has one of the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions in the country, largely due to high emissions from transportation. However, since 2007 emissions associated with transportation have increased. City of Houston - Mayor's Office of Resilience and Sustainability | 611 Walker Street, 13th Floor | Houston, TX 77002, Read the April 22, 2020 Press Release (.html), Houston Climate Action Plan Summary (.pdf), Houston Climate Action Plan Flyer (.pdf), Sign Up for CAP Implementation Working Groups. Thanks for donating today. The initiative aligns with Mayor Turner's Houston Climate Action Plan - a strategy that sets out to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve regional air quality, and build climate resilience.. Texas doesnt have a statewide climate plan, although the federal Environmental Protection Agency said in October it would establish a regional center to coordinate adaptation activities across Texas and four neighboring states. Please email greenhouston@houstontx.gov. The time for bold action is now. Houston Climate Action Plan - DRAFT Strategy Outline - Last updated 7/29/2019 Leading By Example: Summary of City-Specific Actions Implementation of these actions by the City of Houston in the short term can build community capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve our 2050 carbon neutral goal. Below are five key things to know about the plan moving forward. In 2014 Houston emitted 34.3 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). March 23, 2022 -- To celebrate the two-year anniversaries of both the Resilient Houston strategy (released February 2020) and Climate Action Plan (released April 2020), the City of Houston has released a two-year, combined update and a new digital interface to track progress on ongoing initiatives. We must deal with the challenges facing us today and prepare for those facing us tomorrow. The plan has been heralded as a good first step by environmentalists, business leaders and city officials. The plan will demonstrate how the City will adapt and improve its resilience to climate hazards that impact the city today as well as risks that may increase in the coming years. We intentionally worked across departments as well as with the community and partners to develop measurable goals and targets that allowed us to track progress to make a difference and transform the city.. He said the goal was to cater to the ethos of Houston and to get as many people on board as possible. It comes as cities around the world are trying to become carbon neutral by 2050 to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Currently, the city says that they will evaluate performance every five years and, and thats without much public input and comment periods, she said. Increasing the proportion of spending on green procurement. Facebook, Follow us on The Houston Climate Action Plan is a critical part of Mayor Turners Hurricane Harvey recovery effort and builds upon Resilient Houston, the citys recently released resilience strategy, which identified climate change as a key threat to the citys future. Along with a vibrant speaker series from April 17-19, Earth Day HTX 2023 promises to be the largest Earth Day event ever presented by the City of Houston! Mayor Turner Announces Purchase Of Electric Vehicles For City Fleet, February 22 The county says it will work with community partners to address environmental health disparities associated with local climate impacts, such as heat-related visits to the emergency room. What everyone can do to support the CAP, how small businesses can operate more resiliently and sustainably. Dana Drugmand, DeSmog Over last 2 weeks, our YCAs have been collaborating to create their presentation on Resilient #Houston & Climate Action Plan, finalized it this week . 1 minute read March 31, 2022, 8:00 AM PDT By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell Cire notrevo / Shutterstock Its not an ordinance, meaning the city cant do much in terms of enforcement. 2023 Texas Standard. And so were asking that the frequency of those performance reviews be increased as well as the input from community members and outside experts.. This includes 32 states that have released plans and 1 state that is updating its plan. For the past six years, Houston has been the number one municipal user of renewable energy by the EPA and today powers 92% of municipal facilities with renewable energy. The City of Houstons commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy or PACE program provides an additional tool for Houston property owners to finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water conservation projects. Kinder survey: Houstonians show an increased desire for walkable neighborhoods for the first time in 15 years, April 17, 2023 Hosted by Katrin Bennhold. Hundreds of students and others attended a rally outside Houston City Hall as part of the global Fridays for Future climate youth strike in September 2019. Join others and make your gift to Houston Public Media today! Mayor Sylvester Turner Signs Sweeping Decarbonization Policy for City Buildings, April 22 Indeed, recent years have already offered the Houston area a preview of whats to come as temperatures continue rising. At our May general meeting, Lara Cottingham, the City's Chief Sustainability Officer, provided an overview of the process, goals, and some of the strategies that are being considered to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as preventative measures to address the negative . The City of Houston released the first draft of its climate action plan. So far, less than half have chosen to. It doesnt really address a lot of the industry in our region, which are contributing to carbon emissions, said Stephanie Thomas from Public Citizen. Interested in partnering with the City? A science-based, community-driven strategy for Houston to reduce greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions, meet the Paris Agreement goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, and lead a global energy transition. Anton . Reducing 50% of landfilled waste from county operations. C40 is a strategic partner aiding in the development of the citys greenhouse gas inventory and ensuring compliance with the Paris Agreement. Shell is providing support via Harvey recovery and resiliency planning efforts. If theres no direct enforcement component, then how are 50% or 60% of these metrics, which are identified to be led by the community or by industry, going to be enforced and monitored? she said. The plan itself is a series of recommendations, not requirements. Reader support helps sustain our work. Invest $5 million in local artists to create resilience awareness projects across the city by 2025. Double the current number of PACE projects by 2025. In his role, Mayor Turner helps catalyze climate-forward actions taken at the local level, provides an example of climate action for leaders at all levels of government, and advocates for an economic recovery grounded in equity and environmental stewardship. Chairman of the Belgian Chamber of Commerce of Texas, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Houston, Conquering challenges of an industry in evolution, A Hot Opportunity: Accelerate the Energy Transition. Average summertime temperatures in Houston were 4.2 degrees hotter in 2022 than they were in 1970, according to data released recently by nonprofit organization Climate Central. Traffic backed up on I-45 North Freeway. The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. Donate today tohelp keep Grists site and newsletters free. Overview of Houstons Climate Action plan, Support for cleantech, innovation, and partnerships, Perspectives from a SCORE entrepreneur on urban farming. If this isnt put into firm action the next mayor can just scrap this whole idea and say well Im done with this, she said. The city's climate plan, however, sets a goal to slash emissions by 40% by 2030 and become carbon neutral by mid-century. Because the plan focuses on Houston city limits, it doesnt include emissions from some of the areas biggest polluters, which are located in the surrounding counties. The overarching target of the 24-page climate action plan is for Harris County which includes Houston to cut its climate pollution from government operations by 40 percent by 2030, compared to a 2021 baseline. 27 Jun 2023 14:16:51 FEMA Gives Final Approval to City's Inwood Forest Flood Mitigation Project, October 19 Transportation goals include switching to electric vehicles and expanding public transportation options, while waste management focuses on reducing the amount of waste going to the landfill, boosting recycling and creating power from waste. director Mike Pompeo, a man who had dealt firsthand with autocrats like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, described Randi Weingarten as "the most . By signing up, you are opting in to receive periodic communications from the Sierra Club. Bush Community Center in Spring, Elephant yoga: The Good, Bad, and Ugly of the week, Houston summers are getting hotter and more extreme, data shows, Travis Scott avoids criminal indictment in Astroworld tragedy after no-bill by grand jury, Some Houston-area roadways buckling under prolonged high heat, BTB Savage murder: Man arrested, accused of fatally shooting San Antonio rapper in Houston, Two 22-year-old men wanted for arrest after allegedly stealing multiple vehicles from Houstons airport garages, Houston-area teen whose parents are in prison for murder headed to Texas A&M with help of rodeo scholarship. Each focus area identifies goals, strategies, actions and targets for residents, businesses, and the City to follow. The plan itself is 100 pages long, so weve dissected it for you. The City of Houston is currently developing a Climate Action Plan. Reducing electricity usage by at least 5% per year. This initiative is a science-based, community-driven strategy for the city of Houston to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and lead a global energy transition. June 27, 2023 Waste - reducing the amount of waste and trash to the landfill by reducing materialconsumption, recycling, up-cycling and composting4. With that in mind, the plan focuses on taking action across four areas: transportation, energy transition, optimizing buildings to be more energy-efficient, and waste management. Scientists believe that preventing global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius will avert the worst consequences of climate change. FOX LOCAL is your FREE connected TV app for the best coverage of news that matters to you. They include:1. Whoops! To view video and statements of support from Air Alliance Houston, BakerHughes, BOMA, BP, C40, CEER, Center for Houstons Future, CenterPoint Energy, Chevron, ENGIE, Environment Texas, , Gensler, Google, Greenlots, Headline Solar, Houston Renewable Energy Alliance, Houston Tomorrow, The Ion, NRG Energy, Plug and Play, Shell, Sunrise Movement, Sunrun, The Nature Conservancy, USGBC, and many more visit www.greenhoustontx.gov. ET. Reverse Q&A what are barriers to action, what is needed for small businesses to pursue more sustainable opportunities. City of Houston, with Solar United Neighbors, Launches Texas Solar Switch Houston Program to Provide Affordable and Accessible Rooftop Solar, October 19 Sierra Club and "Explore, enjoy and protect the planet" are registered trademarks of the Sierra Club. 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