SUBJECT:
Title
Climate Emergency Proclamation
Body
DEPARTMENT: Environmental Services
Department
PRESENTER(S): Eryka Thorley, Sustainability Manager
Councilor Dan Hoback, Sponsor
Councilor Emily Baer, Sponsor
First Name Last Name, Title
POLICY ISSUES:
Declaring a Climate Emergency signifies to all Erie residents, the State, and Country that the Town of Erie Town Council recognizes the severity of the climate crisis, establishing a baseline for Erie's elected officials to support policy that combats climate disruption, reduces overall impact, and increases resiliency and adaptation for the residents of Erie and beyond.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Approve the proclamation.
End
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
The year 2023 was the warmest year on record since global record keeping began consistently in 1850. 2023 was 1.18C warmer than the previous record-breaking year in 2016. Declaring a climate emergency underscores the severity of the climate crisis for Erie residents while supporting prompt and impactful action essential to combating its effects. Additionally, this declaration highlights the Town of Erie's dedication to reducing its own climate footprint including efforts towards increasing resilience and adaptation while simultaneously aligning the Town with over 2,355 jurisdictions in 40 countries that have declared a climate emergency to date.
In the words of Boulder County Commissioners, who declared a climate emergency in 2019, "Human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases are impacting Earth's climactic system, causing unprecedented, large-scale, adverse health, social, economic, financial, security, and ecological effects. Restoring a safe and stable climate requires an emergency to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors." Additionally, these impacts can be felt by Erie residents in the form of reduced snowpack, earlier snowmelt, increased risk of high intensity wildfires, extreme weathe...
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