With urban hubs responsible for 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions, major global cities including Barcelona, Vancouver, and even megacity Mexico City are committing to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Mayor Martin Walsh, calling Boston “America’s climate champion,” is aiming for a 2050 deadline. The city has released the four broad elements of its Carbon Free Boston plan, covering electric power, buildings, transportation, and waste.
The city’s biggest obstacle to cutting fossil-fueled power could be its buildings, reports radio station WBUR.
Boston has more certified green buildings than any other U.S. city, but buildings remain the city’s biggest energy guzzlers (those winters are cold!). Boston is increasingly switching to natural gas over coal as a heating fuel and Environment Massachusetts has tips for how Boston can move faster in getting to 100% renewable energy.
The environmental advocacy organization has mapped pioneering initiatives from other cities, including neighboring Cambridge, Mass.’s net-zero carbon building plan.
