Last week, the United Nations (U.N.) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report that shows that humanity’s efforts to decrease rising temperatures by reducing the global dependency on fossil fuels (oil and coal) are mixed at best.
While progress has been made with investments in clean energy sources like solar and wind, industrial interests in many nations (like the United States and China) are still making counterproductive moves to increase coal and oil production.
These moves, if left to continue, will nullify progress in reducing temperatures in the next decade, resulting in the resumption of global warming by the end of this century that will cause further rising sea levels, heat waves, widespread hunger, the spread of diseases (who thrive on heat) and the migration of animal and human populations (mostly in impoverished areas: the ones not causing the warming) from increasingly inhospitable areas.
Reacting to the U.N. report, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, one of Arizona’s leaders in working for a sustainable future based on investments in clean energy sources and implementation strategies, offered:
“The decisions we make now will determine our future, which is why I’ve been proud to lead on climate innovations throughout Phoenix, a city that feels deeply the impacts of a warming planet. Whether it’s investing in more public zero or near-zero emission transit options to limit our dependence on cars, growing our cool corridors across the city, or utilizing building materials resistant to extreme heat – we are hard at work to change the fundamental fabric of our city because we know that the price of not doing so is too high.”
Also connected to the Climate issue, Mayor Gallego attended two conferences last week in the Northeast. The first was the Living with Extreme Heat Colloquium at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House. The second was the United Nations Water Conference in New York City.
According to a press release from the Mayor’s office, at the conference in Pennsylvania, Ms. Gallego, whose initiatives on reducing heat in Phoenix included the highly touted planting trees and placing light-colored pavement on streets and roofs, “participated in discussions with heat experts, engineers, and leaders from around the world to share how cities can play a leadership role in combatting heat in urban areas. She swapped best practices, creative policies, innovative technologies, design strategies, and other approaches that can be used to cool communities and protect the most vulnerable of urban communities from the dangers of extreme heat.”
At the United Nations conference, Mayor Gallego was one of only two United States Mayors (New York City’s Eric Adams was the other) who represented the nation at the conference, the first of its kind since 1977. The purpose of the event was “to assess progress on Sustainable Development Goal Six to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” According to the Mayor’s press release. she, “who serves as the Public Sector Co-Chair for 50 Liter Home (50L Home), shared how Phoenix has been leading the way in water conservation efforts, much in part due to partnerships with private sector companies including Proctor & Gamble, IKEA, and others.”
On social media, the Mayor made two postings from the U.N. Water Conference.
As one of only two mayors in the U.S. delegation at the @UN Water Conference this week, I've been proud to share the innovative work we’ve been doing in Phoenix to conserve and secure our water supply. pic.twitter.com/EHiyZ3ZHXo
— Mayor Kate Gallego (@MayorGallego) March 25, 2023
I was happy to connect with @USAmbUN Linda Thomas-Greenfield at the @UN Water Conference. The work of cities around the world contributes to global water security, and Phoenix is helping lead the way. pic.twitter.com/qq17B4NDE7
— Mayor Kate Gallego (@MayorGallego) March 25, 2023
If this planet, people, and wildlife are to going to get through this climate crisis, it would be prudent to follow the lead and clean energy initiatives of leaders like Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, her Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, and legislators like Democratic Senate Leader Mitzi Epstein, who when asked to comment on the U.N. Climate Report, relayed:
“The publication of the IPCC report is always an urgent call to action. For Arizonans, this quote should be of high concern, “beyond 1.5 degrees of warming, the IPCC says, humanity will run up against “hard limits” to adaptation. Temperatures will get too high to grow many staple crops. Droughts will become so severe that even the strongest water conservation measures can’t compensate.”
Humans do have the technology to make changes to generate energy with drastically reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Electricity generation is key to getting the results we need. I’ve seen many plans for electrifying transportation, but those will not help if we do not make serious strides toward eliminating fossil fuel burning to generate electricity.
We need to not just become more efficient at burning less fossil fuels per unit of electricity generated; we need to reduce emissions.”
Mayor Gallego and Senator Epstein are right.
The time to act is now.
There is no Planet B to travel to.
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