Body
WHEREAS, the scientific community warns that allowing global temperatures to rise more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels could lead to irreversible changes to the planet; and
WHEREAS, the proceeds of auctions of carbon emissions permits are a public resource; and
WHEREAS, increasing energy efficiency in homes, commercial buildings and vehicles is the fastest, cleanest, cheapest and safest way to reduce our energy use, our energy bills, and America's greenhouse gas emissions; and
WHEREAS, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects have the potential to generate hundreds of thousands of family-supporting jobs particularly in cities like Pittsburgh which are suffering from recent losses in the manufacturing sector; and
WHEREAS, low-income communities and fragile ecosystems in the U.S. and around the world stand to suffer disproportionately from the negative impacts of global warming; and
WHEREAS, the United States has the opportunity to take a leadership role in driving carbon emissions reductions and technology transfer around the world; and
WHEREAS, the structure and design of cap-and-trade legislation, proposals of which are currently being considered by Congress, are critical to the success of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to achieve science-based targets, protecting affected families and workers, revitalizing existing industries and promoting conservation of wildlife.
Title
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh calls on Pennsylvania Senators Casey and Specter to support amendments to strengthen the Climate Security Act of 2008, S. 3036, that will:
• Set science-based timetables. The targets and timetables must be sufficient to do what the science demands in both the near and long terms to reduce the negative impacts of climate change to the maximum extent possible. This will require reductions in total emissions on the order of 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 and 20 percent below current levels by 2020.
• Auction emissions permits. Permits to emit carbon must be used for public benefit, not private windfalls. All allowances should be auctioned or otherwise used to benefit the public.
• Pursue the cleanest, cheapest, fastest solutions first. Revenue raised by the bill should be used to promote a clean energy future by investing in the highest-value solutions for emissions reductions first, to accelerate deployment of the clean energy technologies we have today and to develop the ones we need for tomorrow.
• Protect workers, vulnerable people and habitats and help induce world action. Auction revenues should be used to protect low- and moderate-income citizens from rising energy costs, ensure fair treatment for affected workers and their communities, and drive technology transfer to help achieve emissions reductions around the world. We must also take care of communities and ecosystems that suffer the impacts of global warming we were too late to avoid.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution shall be transmitted to Senators Casey and Specter.