Phoenix City Councilwoman District Seven Yassamin Ansari has only been in her position for six months but she is already making an impact on an area that she has profound expertise in: fighting climate change and building an equitable and just sustainable future for Phoenix Residents.
In the last six months, she has worked with Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego in:
- launching an electric vehicle initiative for the city.
- supporting a plan that would cut Phoenix to zero net emissions by 2050.
A former senior United Nations advisor on climate change and Deputy Director of Policy for former California Governor Jerry Brown’s Climate Action Summit, Ms. Ansari journeyed to the 2021 COP26 Glasgow Climate Summit with Mayor Gallego earlier this month. Like the mayor, she showcased Phoenix’s leading role in combatting climate change and forging clean, just, and sustainable solutions that would move the people, the city and Arizona forward.
Councilwoman Ansari graciously took the time to discuss her trip to the Glasgow Climate Summit and how she will apply that experience to developing sustainability policies on the Phoenix City Council.
The question and her responses are below.
1) What were at least two ideas that you learned about at the Glasgow Climate Summit that you can possibly apply to the sustainability programs in Phoenix?
“The 26th Annual UN Climate Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland was a historic gathering of more than 25,000 delegates from every corner of the world.
Phoenix is on the front line of the climate crisis, specifically threatened by extreme heat, drought, and wildfires. Air pollution is a serious threat in my district, harming children and older, vulnerable adults. I was at COP26 to learn from the vast amount of climate action expertise, but also to showcase the innovative work that Phoenix is leading.”
Two of the areas I focused on while at the conference:
“First, environmental justice. On November 2nd, I attended a session on Equitable Deep Decarbonization: A Roundtable Discussing the Historic Justice40 Initiative. On January 27, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order (EO) 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad” which created a government-wide “Justice40 Initiative” that aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of relevant federal investments to disadvantaged communities. Learning more about Justice40, and the opportunity to have meetings with some of the experts behind the initiative, solidified my commitment to ensuring that we incorporate these same principles at the local level.
In District 7, there are real concerns around equity, especially when it comes to displacement, gentrification, and air quality. We want to ensure that everyone shares in the benefits of massive investments and changes. Justice40, in my view, can be potentially transformative as we strive to not only avoid harm, but to proactively invest in historically disadvantaged and marginalized communities in District 7 and throughout the entire city.
Second, transportation electrification. I was encouraged to learn about the great work that many cities are leading when it comes to transitioning their own city fleets from fossil-fuel powered vehicles to electric or hybrid-electric vehicles. The Glasgow City Council even showcased their own hybrid-electric buses for the conference, and areas like Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami-Dade have already purchased electric buses that are replacing the old city buses. I’m now working with our city’s transit department and other Councilmembers to ensure that Phoenix prioritizes clean bus options as we look to purchase new vehicles for our fleet in the months and years ahead. We have an important meeting on this coming up on December 15th— and I encourage residents to tune in if this is an area of interest.”
2) Please explain how your experience, first as a United Nations advisor on climate issues and now as a member of the Phoenix City Council, gives you an informed insight to help lead in formulating sustainability policies in Phoenix.
“Prior to being elected as a Phoenix City Councilwoman, I spent my career working on climate change solutions at the national and international levels. Most recently, I served as a senior advisor on the United Nations Secretary-General’s climate action team, where I helped to plan the 2019 UN Climate Summit.
One of the reasons I was compelled to run for local office, however, was inspired by the work I led in 2017-2018. I was serving as the Deputy Director of Policy for the California Governor Jerry Brown’s Climate Action Summit, and I was responsible for working with cities, states, companies, and civil society to deliver stronger commitments on climate action. I was particularly inspired by the work that cities across the United States and the world were spearheading on issues ranging from clean transportation to nature-based solutions to divestment. I felt strongly – and still do – that Phoenix has the potential to be a leader on these issues, while creating good-paying union jobs, building resilience to the impacts of extreme heat, and cleaning up our air and water.
We’ve done a lot of great work during my first six months as a Councilwoman, and I believe that my extensive experience in this realm has played a significant role in these efforts. My team and I worked closely with city staff to strengthen the goals laid out in the 2021 Phoenix Climate Action Plan, which was recently passed by the Phoenix City Council. I’m also chairing the Mayor’s Ad-Hoc Committee on Electric Vehicles, which will culminate with the release of an “EV Roadmap” for the city and new programs that will hopefully make electric vehicles more affordable and accessible for working families. Furthermore, I’m consistently advocating to make our city more pedestrian and biker-friendly, to increase investment in clean public transportation, and to prioritize tree planting and building cool corridors in the areas of our city that have been historically left behind.”
3) Is there anything not asked in the first two questions you would like Phoenix Residents to know about your attendance at the Glasgow Climate Summit? Please explain.
“At COP26, I held meetings with leaders from national and subnational governments, colleges and universities, the private sector, as well as youth and indigenous activists. I also attended numerous sessions on issues ranging from advancing solar energy, combatting environmental racism, green jobs, EVs, and more. Finally, I spoke at several events, including on a panel comprised of young climate leaders from around the world as well as senior UN officials.”
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