Washington, DC— Today, on behalf of the nation’s mayors, cities, and locally elected government leaders, representatives from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, African American Mayors Association, Climate Mayors, C40 Cities and ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA sent a joint letter to President Joe Biden applauding the Biden-Harris administration for taking a whole-of-government approach to advancing its bold climate agenda, working with mayors and local leaders to do so.
As local leaders who have long embraced sustainability efforts within their own communities, we welcome the Biden-Harris administration’s recommitment to climate and environmental justice as a true sign of progress.
The letter reads in part:
“We have established bold goals and set out plans to achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions in our communities and address climate impacts. Through our work we have been able to reduce our climate footprint and make our communities stronger, more equitable, and more resilient. However, we cannot do it alone. We need bold steps across all levels of government as well as the private sector, and we need additional tools and incentives, including direct allocation of funds to local governments, if we are to be successful in meeting our goals ahead.
“We want to thank your Administration for reentering the Paris Climate Agreement and demonstrating to the world that the United States will once again take a leadership role in this fight.
“We also want to thank you for introducing the America Rescue Plan that will not only begin to address our tremendous infrastructure needs but will also potentially create millions of new and good-paying jobs, put people back to work, and stimulate our economy out of this economic downturn. In addition, your infrastructure plan includes many components that will assist us with our climate change efforts and ensure a just and green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The full text of the letter can be found here.
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About the United States Conference of Mayors:The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are more than 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
About the African American Mayors Association: The African American Mayors Association (AAMA) is the only organization exclusively representing over 500 African-American mayors across the United States. AAMA seeks to empower local leaders for the benefit of their citizens. The role of the AAMA includes taking positions on public policies that impact the vitality and sustainability of cities; providing mayors with leadership and management tools; and creating a forum for member mayors to share best practices related to municipal management.
About Climate Mayors: Representing over 74 million Americans from 48 states, Climate Mayors is a peer-to-peer network of 476 U.S. city mayors who have committed to fighting climate change. Originally founded in 2014, the network’s ranks swelled to almost 400 mayors in response to the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Climate Mayors commit to taking ambitious action to meet each of their cities’ current climate goals, while working together towards achieving our national Paris targets. For more information, please visit www.climatemayors.org.
About the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: C40 is a network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities who are working to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis and create a future where everyone, everywhere can thrive. Mayors of C40 cities are committed to using a science-based and people-focused approach to help the world limit global heating to 1.5°C and build healthy, equitable and resilient communities. Through a Global Green New Deal, mayors are working alongside a broad coalition of representatives from labor, business, the youth climate movement and civil society to go further and faster than ever before. The current Chair of C40 is Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti; and three-term Mayor of New York City Michael R. Bloomberg serves as President of the Board. C40’s work is made possible by our three strategic funders: Bloomberg Philanthropies, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), and Realdania.
About ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA: ICLEI USA is an acknowledged leader in local government technical assistance, providing the tools, standards, and programs for local governments to measurably reduce carbon emissions. ICLEI is a global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 125+ countries, ICLEI influences sustainability policy and drives local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development.
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The National League of Cities (NLC) is the voice of America’s cities, towns and villages, representing more than 200 million people across the country. NLC works to strengthen local leadership, influence federal policy and drive innovative solutions. Stay connected with NLC on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.