The Los Angeles City Council recently approved on a 13-0 vote to move forward with a plan to establish a Climate Emergency Mobilization Department.
The action directs city staff to draft a plan to establish the department, including what authority it would have over other city departments, and the feasibility of creating a stakeholder commission that would oversee it. The motion was introduced following a series of wildfires that hit the region in December, causing severe damage in many areas.
Council members linked the fires to climate change and said the time for bold action to combat climate change had come. A lack of environmental leadership out of Washington, D.C., means cities must take matters into their own hands, one councilor said.
The council’s action builds on a program by the advocacy group The Leap that wants to transition the city to carbon-neutrality by 2025.
Related Stories
| Apr 24, 2013
BOMA’s 360 Performance Program approaches 600 building designees
The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International conferred the BOMA 360 Performance Program® designation upon 44 properties in major commercial real estate markets across the U.S. in the first quarter of 2013.
| Apr 24, 2013
New Mexico court strikes down move to repeal energy codes
The New Mexico State Court of Appeals struck down an attempt to repeal energy-efficient building codes.
| Apr 24, 2013
Los Angeles may add cool roofs to its building code
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants cool roofs added to the city’s building code. He is also asking the Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to create incentives that make it financially attractive for homeowners to install cool roofs.
| Apr 17, 2013
Army's FY 2014 $130 billion budget includes $2.3 billion for construction
The U.S. Army submitted a $129.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2014, $2.3 billion of which is allocated for military construction, army family housing, and base realignment and closure.
| Apr 17, 2013
Leonardo Academy to develop sustainability master plan standard
Leonardo Academy launched the development of a standard for sustainability master plans using the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) process to define sustainability goals and achievements for regions, states and campuses.
| Apr 17, 2013
Fenestration Council allows some shading system, dynamic glazing to be rated for U-Factor
The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) approved changes to its NFRC 100 and NFRC 200 standards, allowing certain shading devices to be rated for U-factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient.
| Apr 17, 2013
LEED 2009 quarterly interpretations, addenda now available
Quarterly interpretations and addenda to the LEED 2009 rating systems and reference guides are now available.
| Apr 17, 2013
DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley Lab researchers developing new indoor air pollution standards
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) researchers are working on new building standards after discovering previously unknown indoor air pollutants.
| Apr 16, 2013
RMJM acquired by Duthus Investments for £12 million
Sir Fraser Morrison, the owner and chairman of architect RMJM, is the backer behind the investment firm that bought RMJM for £11m in late March.
| Apr 10, 2013
ASHRAE publishes second edition to HVAC manual for healthcare facilities
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has published a second edition of its “HVAC Design Manual for Hospitals and Clinics.”