HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES-2019-002 Resolution requesting Representative Price endorsement for Select Committee on Green New Deal RES - 2019 -002
ORANGE COUNTY A COMMISSIONERS
RESOLUTIU � ST ' �� G THAT AMID
PRICE ENDORSE ALEXANDRIA OCASIO =CORTEZ ' S RESOLUTION
FOR A SELECT COMMITTEE ON A GREEN NEW DEAL
WHEREAS , on October 3 , 2018 , the United Nations released a special report , criticized
by many leading climate scientists as overly conservative , which projected that limiting
warming to the unsafe 1 . 5 ° C target this century will require an unprecedented
transformation of every sector of the global economy over the next 12 years ; and
WHEREAS , on November 23 , 2018 the Federal Government issued a climate study
detailing the massive threat that climate change poses to the American economy and
underscoring the need for immediate climate emergency action at all levels of
government ; and
WHEREAS , the death and destruction already wrought by global warming of
approximately 1 . 1 ' C above late 19th century levels demonstrates that the Earth is
already too hot for safety and justice as attested by increased and intensifying wildfires ,
floods , rising seas , diseases , droughts and extreme weather ; and
WHEREAS , restoring a safe and stable climate requires a " Climate Mobilization " at all
levels of government on a scale not seen since World War 11 to reach zero greenhouse
gas emissions across all sectors at emergency speed , to rapidly and safely drawdown
or remove all the excess carbon from the atmosphere , to end the 6th mass extinction of
species , and to implement measures to protect all people and species from the
increasingly severe consequences of climate change ; and
WHEREAS , to address the nation ' s urgent climate change needs and impacts ,
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio � Cortez has proposed a " Green New Deal " ; and
WHEREAS , the proposed Green New Deal would be a sweeping overhaul of the
economy that includes equity and justice in its solutions and has the following goals ;
1 . Dramatically expand existing renewable power sources and deploy new
production capacity with the goal of meeting 100 % of national power demand
through renewable sources ;
24 building a national , energy-efficient , " smart " grid ;
3 . upgrading every residential and industrial building for state - of-the - art energy
efficiency , comfort and safety ;
46 eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacturing , agricultural and
other industries , including by investing in local - scale agriculture in communities
across the country ;
50 eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from repairing and improving
transportation and other infrastructure , and upgrading water infrastructure to
ensure universal access to clean water ;
6 , funding massive investment in the drawdown of greenhouse gases ;
7 . making " green " technology , industry , expertise , products and services a major
export of the United States , with the aim of becoming an international leader in
helping other countries transition to completely greenhouse gas neutral
economies and bringing about a global Green New Deal .
WHEREAS , justice calls for climate resilience that addresses the specific experiences ,
vulnerabilities , and needs of marginalized communities within our jurisdiction , who must
be included and supported in actively engaging in climate resilience planning , policy ,
and actions ; and
WHEREAS , actions to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and /or drawdown
greenhouse gases may be taken in ways that also improve resilience to the effects of
climate change , and vice versa ; and
WHEREAS , justice requires that frontline communities , which have historically borne
the brunt of the extractive fossil -fuel economy , participate actively in the planning and
implementation of this mobilization effort at all levels of government and that they
benefit first from the transition to a renewable energy economy ; and
WHEREAS , fairness demands the protection and expansion, of workers ' right to
organize as well as a guarantee of high - paying , high - quality jobs with comprehensive
benefits for all and many other tenets of a Green New Deal effort as the mobilization to
restore a safe climate is launched ;
NOW, THEREFORE , BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of
Commissioners declares that a climate emergency threatens our county , region , state ,
nation , civilization , humanity and the natural world ;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners
requests that representative David Price join with the growing number of his
Congressional peers and endorse Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez ' s resolution for a select
committee on a Green New Deal .
This the 22nd Day of January 2019 ,
At
Penny rich , qhair
Orange County Board of Commissioners