October 2008 | From the Commish
Chicago’s Action Plan to
Fight Climate Change
Under Mayor Daley’s leadership, the City of Chicago has been aggressive in its charge to be the greenest city on the nation. We have led by example and shown that green technology benefits our environment while making sound economic sense as well. The science is quite clear that climate change is inevitable. We need to mitigate additional climate emissions and adapt for the changes already underway. After an eighteen-month process, the City of Chicago and partners released the Chicago Climate Action Plan (CCAP) on September 18, 2008. The effort engaged a research advisory committee comprised of two Nobel Peace Prize winning scientists from the International Panel on Climate Change, and amazing work from such organizations as the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), Oliver Wyman, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Delta Institute. Input and ideas were also received from nearly 200 business and civic leaders throughout the city. The task force created a plan that:
• Determines the challenges we face as our climate changes
• Describes the sources of our greenhouse gas emissions
• Sets goals to reduce our emissions and adapt to changes already affecting us
• Finds ways to leverage our knowledge to improve our economy and quality of life
• Outlines concrete and achievable goals for Chicagoans
The CCAP outlines 26 actions for mitigating greenhouse gas in four categories: buildings, transportation, renewable energy and waste and pollution. It also identifies nine actions the city can undertake to adapt to the changes already underway. These actions call upon a range of governmental bodies — local, regional and federal — to change policies.
Over the course of the next year and beyond, the city will roll out a series of programs specifically aimed at addressing climate change. The ultimate goal is to provide resources for every Chicago resident, business and institution to participate in the CCAP. Highlights of upcoming initiatives include:
• A revised Chicago Energy Efficiency Code, which will meet international standards and be easier to understand
• New partnerships to make it easier for residents and businesses to take greater advantage of public transportation and save money
• A Green Office Challenge that will spur high rise office buildings to save energy, increase recycling and water efficiency and reduce paper usage
• The construction of four publicly accessible alternative fueling stations
• Implementation of key components of the Chicago 2015 Bike Plan
• A communications and outreach plan to engage all residents and businesses in the CCAP
To monitor the implementation of the CCAP, the Mayor appointed a green ribbon committee of business and civic leaders who will report the achievements and challenges to residents and businesses annually.
Companies who are already making a difference can look to do more; other businesses must begin. Environmental, community and faith-based organizations also have a key role to play. The plan details steps for organizations of all kinds and suggests actions for every individual.
As part of the plan, the city launched a new website chicagoclimateaction.org where individuals and businesses can learn about climate change, what they can do in their daily lives to reduce emissions and what the city is doing to protect and preserve our environment.
I’m encouraging every Chicagoan to take the $800 Savings Challenge, which demonstrates that simple changes can help reduce carbon emissions, while saving money. Suggestions include switching to more efficient compact fluorescent light, adjusting the thermostat, using alternative transportation and unplugging lights and electronics when not in use.
The plan will provide a framework that guides our efforts to protect our environment for future generations, but now the real work begins. We must all do our part to help reduce our climate emissions. In closing, I want to emphasize this plan is everyone’s plan, not just the city’s plan — it’s the plan for all of our city.
Suzanne Malec-McKenna is the Commissioner of Environment for the City of Chicago.
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