Climate Emergency Declared by Tucson Mayor & Council

The declaration sets a goal of carbon neutrality by 2030 

(Tucson, AZ – September 9, 2020) Tucson Mayor & Council declared a climate emergency at the September 9 meeting. Led by Mayor Romero and Council Member Paul Durham, the declaration sets a goal of carbon neutrality by 2030, committing the City to developing and implementing a comprehensive 10-year Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. The declaration also focuses on deploying a Just and Equitable Transition with an emphasis on people of color, immigrants, Indigenous communities, low-income individuals, people with disabilities, and the unhoused – all who are disproportionately affected by the adverse health consequences of climate change.

“With record-breaking temperatures, increasingly dry summers, and historic wildfires, the need to act boldly to combat climate change and build resiliency in our city has never been more apparent,” said Mayor Romero. “My gratitude goes to young members of our community from the   Arizona Climate Coalition and Sunrise Tucson who have led on this issue and approached me at the beginning of the year  on the need to declare a climate emergency. 

As the third fastest warming city in the U.S., Tucson is facing a real climate change threat in public health and safety that can increase  local risks and worsen the effects of major hazards such as wildfires, drought, extreme heat, and flooding. August was Tucson’s hottest month on record  and this summer was the hottest in all 125 years of weather records. With little rain, experts have concluded  that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves. 

The declaration directs all City departments to prioritize and align efforts with the Paris Agreement and the Green New Deal, and identify climate adaptation and mitigation strategies that are people-centered and prioritize certain climate and sustainability solutions. Earlier this year, Mayor & Council voted 6-1 to allocate $250,000 for the development of a comprehensive 10-year Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. By establishing overall sustainability and de-carbonization goals, the declaration of a climate emergency is the first step in developing this plan.  

“By establishing bold goals, and expanding on our current efforts, the City of Tucson is well-positioned to act as a climate leader and become a more ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable city,” added Mayor Romero. 

The Climate Emergency Declaration prioritizes the following climate and sustainability solutions: 

• Deploying and efficiently using clean, renewable, and locally sourced energy. 
• Transitioning out of fossil fuels by electrifying the City’s public transit and vehicle fleet, and retrofitting City facilities.  
• Capturing and safely storing carbon mainly through the massive tree planting via the Tucson Million Trees initiative.   
• Deploying and enhancing land use patterns to foster safe, multimodal, accessible, equitable, intelligent, and clean transportation, mobility, and connectivity.  
• Conserving resources through water management and eliminating waste by establishing a 50% diversion goal by 2030 and zero waste by 2050.  
• Incorporating green infrastructure into community design to capture and use stormwater, and actively restore and rehabilitate ecosystems by removing non-native vegetation.  
• Preparing for, learning from, and adapting to the effects of climate change through proactive, holistic planning and response at the infrastructural, cultural, and institutional levels. 

Tucson joins more than 1,700 cities and jurisdictions (https://climateemergencydeclaration.org/climate-emergency-declarations-cover-15-million-citizens/ ), worldwide that have formally committed to take action to reverse global warming by declaring a climate emergency. 

### 

For more information about the Mayor’s efforts or to schedule an interview with Mayor Regina Romero, contact Communications Director Myriam Cruz at myriam.cruz@tucsonaz.gov  or call 602-748-9838.