NEW ORLEANS — Mayor Mitch Landrieu unveiled today a local initiative to combat climate change, just a little more than a month after President Trump announced that the U.S. was pulling out of the Paris climate accord.
“Climate change is one of the greatest threats to our coastal communities, nation and world,” said Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “In New Orleans, we face a triple threat: subsidence, coastal erosion and sea level rise. If unchecked, New Orleans, like many coastal cities, will be forced to retreat. This strategy will help us transition to a low-carbon economy that not only helps manage our climate risk, but also creates new businesses, jobs, and wealth.”
Last month, Landrieu joined 342 other mayors in the Climate Mayors agreement following Trump’s withdrawal from the Parish climate accord. The agreement pledges that the mayors, who represent more than 65 million Americans in 44 states, adopted the accord.
The climate action strategy, Climate Action for a Resilient New Orleans, proposes 11 strategies and 25 actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent by 2030.
Some of the pillars of the plan include:
- Modernizing energy use by increasing use of low-carbon, clean fuels; making energy savings a sustainable resource; and increasing the resilience of energy infrastructure.
- Improving transportation choices by transforming infrastructure to reduce car dependence; encouraging active transportation; and increasing fuel efficiency.
- Reducing waste via development of recycling and composting initiatives and by generating value from waste.
- Creating a culture of awareness and action by growing the low-carbon economy; enabling data driven decision making; and connecting the city’s culture to climate action.
Landrieu’s climate action announcement comes months after his national profile was elevated thanks to the controversial removal of the Confederate monuments. National news outlets, including CNN and The New York Times, have listed Landrieu as a potential contender for president in 2020.