Newsletter #7, February 2008
Newsletter #7, February 2008
Post Carbon Cities :: Newsletter #7, February 2008
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IN THIS ISSUE:
- Spokane, Wash. becomes first city to tackle climate change and peak oil together
- Post Carbon Cities makes Planetizen.com's Top Ten for 2008
- How to pay for innovation
- Recent news and resources
- What can Post Carbon do for you?
- BREAKING NEWS: Oakland, Calif. releases Oil Independence Task Force report
1. Spokane, Wash. becomes first city to tackle climate change and peak oil together
[ From our February 14th press release. ]
Many U.S. cities have plans in place to reduce greenhouse gases, and a growing number are planning for declining global oil production. But the City of Spokane (pop. 199,400) in eastern Washington has become the first in the U.S. (and possibly the world) to tackle climate change and global oil depletion together, marking a new step in local government responses to these increasingly urgent challenges.
Announcing a new sustainability strategic planning effort focused on climate change and energy security, Spokane Mayor Mary Verner said, "By aggressively pursuing strategies now that prepare us for future energy and climate uncertainties, Spokane will manage challenges while increasing our competitive advantage over other cities. It just makes sense."
Spokane, the second-largest city in Washington state, has emerged as a new leader in the fight against climate change and global oil depletion, building on its previous work to save energy, protect natural resources, and encourage green building. With the launch of this initiative, Spokane joins other more recognized sustainability leaders like Seattle, which in 2005 launched the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, and Portland, Ore., which in 2006 pioneered the nation's first Peak Oil Task Force to identify the local risks posed by global oil depletion.
Both Seattle's and Portland's efforts have since served as models for other cities across the country, and Spokane's new initiative promises to similarly blaze new trails for local government.
Speaking to an overflow crowd at last week's launch of the Spokane initiative, Daniel Lerch of Post Carbon Institute said, "We're entering uncharted territory with world oil production plateauing and atmospheric carbon reaching record levels. Cities need to identify the new risks they face because there isn't any state or federal government agency that's going to do it for them." Lerch, a national expert on local government responses to global oil depletion, is author of the recently released book Post Carbon Cities: Planning for Energy and Climate Uncertainty, the first major government guidebook on the subject.
The city will be forming its citizen task force in the next month. For more information about the task force, contact Susanne Croft, City of Spokane Sustainability Coordinator.
2. Post Carbon Cities in Planetizen's Top Ten
Post Carbon Cities is honored to be among the Top Ten Websites of 2008, as named by the readership at Planetizen.com. Planetizen is one of our favorite sites, too -- it's widely regarded as the web portal for planners and urbanists of all stripes. Thank you, Planetizen, and everyone who voted for us!
3. How to pay for innovation
One of the great sticking points for implementing innovative projects at any level of government is: "How will we pay for it?" Some projects, especially energy efficiency measures, can pay for themselves over time -- but the initial funding still has to come from somewhere.
At Post Carbon Cities we've started collecting examples of innovative municipal funding for sustainability initiatives. You'll find them under a new category in our News and Resources sections: Funding Change. From federal block grants to buying pools that can give municipalities greater leverage in purchasing green energy, we'll be tracking some of the more creative ways that cities are turning their plans into realities.
4. Recent news and resources
Each business day, Post Carbon Cities combs through the news for articles about how global warming and rising energy costs are affecting cities, and what city leaders are doing in response. We also collect relevant policy documents and government reports: you can browse through them in our Resources Section. Here are a few recently-posted items:
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Nine cities, nine ideas: cities cutting energy use Published 11 January 2008 by Wall Street Journal The Wall Street Journal profiles nine cities of different sizes and the ways that they are cutting their energy use. |
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Cool Spots, bright idea Published 15 January 2008 by New Urban News Land use and transportation planning are keys to making cities more resilient in the face of energy and climate uncertainty. But what might climate- and energy-smart communities look like, and what tools are available to help plan them? The Cool Spots model is one that may soon be released into the public domain. |
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'Green' Buildings Don't Have to Be New Published 27 January 2008 by The New York Times Shiny new green buildings with impressive waste reduction and energy efficiency features make the news, but probably more important is what happens with all of the existing building stock. The U.S. Green Building Council, creator of LEED certification, has developed a similar certification program for existing buildings called LEED-EB, of steps that can be undertaken without going through a "gut rehab." |
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Call for Papers: Planning for the Carbon Neutral World: The Salzburg (Austria) Congress on Urban Planning and Development has put out a call for papers for their 2008 conference, "Planning for the Carbon Neutral World: Challenges for Cities and Regions." Perhaps your city or project would make a compelling case study? See their website for details about submissions. |
5. What can Post Carbon do for you?
"I am a professional in rural community development who is assisting local governments to understand and deal with issues related to peak oil and climate. Your presentation of the issues is written in a language that shows understanding of how local governments operate... I hope you don't mind if I borrow from Post Carbon Cities in my presentations."
-- Michael McLaughlin, Lead Consultant, Rural Futures Associates
As a matter of fact, we don't mind at all! One of the resources on our website is a collection of slideshows from presentations we've given. They're a great source of material for speaking to audiences about the ramifications of peak oil and global warming for cities in general (and local governments in particular). You're welcome to use our materials, but please let us know that you're using them and credit us as appropriate.
Post Carbon Cities' mission is to help local governments understand the challenges posed by energy and climate uncertainty, and provide resources for elected officials, planners, managers and others to develop plans and responses appropriate to their communities. Are we doing our job? How can we help you develop your community's plans? Would you like to see us offer events, trainings or online tools? Tell us how we can help you! Contact Laurel with your suggestions.
6. BREAKING NEWS: Oakland, Calif. releases Oil Independence Task Force report
Literally minutes before we were set to send out this issue of the Post Carbon Cities newsletter we got the announcement that the final report of the Oil Independent Oakland Task Force report is now available! The task force has been meeting since April 2007 and is now the third peak oil task force to come to completion, following Portland, Ore. and Sebastopol, Calif..
Here's a quick look at the Action Plan summary:
On February 26, 2008, the Oil Independent Oakland by 2020 Task Force (OIO), a ten-member committee appointed by City Council and the Mayor, [will present] its report and recommendations for reducing oil consumption in Oakland. Three of the key initiatives of the Oil Independent Action Plan are:
- Adopt the Oil Depletion Protocol as City policy so that Oakland will protect itself against diminishing oil supplies and/or future hikes in petroleum prices.
- Redesign the City into numerous "urban villages" where jobs, services and shopping are conveniently located so that walking, biking, and electric vehicle use can become more practical and desirable on a daily basis.
- Encourage more use of public transit so that when people do need to travel beyond their immediate neighborhoods, alternatives to private automobiles are available, accessible and convenient.The Oil Independent Action Plan describes numerous detailed recommendations supporting these focal points, as well as other recommendations related to the larger picture of changing Oakland's energy consumption patterns, creating green jobs, and reaching out to Oakland citizens to also reduce household oil consumption.
The Oil Independent Action Plan is available on the OIO's web page on the City of Oakland's website, at www.oaklandnet.com/Oil.
Stay up to date with the latest local and state/provincial government responses to peak oil: visit our local responses matrix at www.postcarboncities.net/peakoilresponses.
Photo credit: Spokane by pgautier2004 
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