Title
To recognize the effects of global warming caused by human activity and to establish a climate action goal to achieve a 45 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from the 2008 baseline.
Body
WHEREAS, by Resolution No. 2012-R69-103, adopted July 9, 2012, the City adopted a sustainability plan for the City of Richmond entitled "RVAgreen: A Roadmap to Sustainability," which builds on existing sustainability efforts and priorities of the City of Richmond divided into five focus areas: Economic Development, Energy, Environment, Open Space, and Land Use and Transportation; and
WHEREAS, the Council believes that the City must remain committed to the sustainability goals articulated in the aforementioned plan as the City develops a new equity-centered, integrated climate action and resilience plan; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, global temperatures have already risen by one degree Celsius from pre-industrial levels, and the effects of climate change are evident in, among other things, extreme weather conditions, rising air and water temperatures, changes in precipitation, and declining surface water quality; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a special report in October 2018 concerning global warming that concluded that if global temperatures rise above 1.5 degrees Celsius relative to pre-industrial levels, worldwide risks for flooding of major coastal cities, the breakdown of agricultural systems, mass migration, and catastrophic weather events that pose significant threats to human society will increase; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, the said special report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced by 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030 and reach net ...
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