Florida Mayors Rush to Prepare for Rising Seas

Cities represent both a majority of the world’s population — about 58 percent — and the majority of the world’s annual emissions — about 70 percent.

According to a new report, released in conjunction with the Climate Action 2016 summit held in Washington, D.C. this week, city governments with strong local power have a track record of taking more action on climate than those without strong local power.  In the building sector specifically, which accounts for the majority of city-driven emissions, cities with strong local governments have taken 30 percent more action than those without.

Cities can only do so much, however, and the same report found considerable barriers to action even when a city has a strong local power.  Finance, for instance, can be a problem, because while cities can approve projects, they might need state or federal support to finance the project, making it difficult to move forward without cooperation from other levels of government.

Read more at Florida Mayors Rush to Prepare for Rising Seas