WHEREAS, The decade from 2000 to 2010 was the warmest on record, and 2005 and 2010 tied for the hottest years on record; and
WHEREAS, The Environmental Protection Agency determined that current and future greenhouse gas concentrations endanger public health, and according to the Global Humanitarian Forum climate change is already responsible every year for some 300,000 deaths, 325 million people seriously affected, and economic losses worldwide of 125 billion dollars; and
WHEREAS, Extreme weather events, most notably heat waves and precipitation extremes, are striking with increased frequency, with deadly consequences for people and wildlife; in the United States in 2011 alone, a record 14 weather and climate disasters occurred, including droughts, heat waves, and floods, that cost at least 1 billion dollars each in damages and loss of human lives; and
WHEREAS, Climate change is affecting food security by negatively impacting the growth and yields of important crops, and droughts, floods and changes in snowpack are altering water supplies; and
WHEREAS, Sea level is rising faster along the U.S. East Coast than it has for at least 2,000 years, is accelerating in pace, and could rise by one to two meters in this century, threatening millions of Americans with severe flooding; and
WHEREAS, For four decades, the Clean Air Act has protected the air we breathe through a proven, comprehensive, successful system of pollution control that saves lives and creates economic benefits exceeding its costs by many times; and
WHEREAS, The Clean Air Act has produced economic benefits valued at 2 trillion or 30 times the cost of regulation; and
WHEREAS, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in
Massachusetts vs. EPA
(2007) that greenhouse gases are air pollutants as defined by the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate them; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia prides itself on being a leader in the fight against climate change and for clean air via the Greenworks plan; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby support the reduction of Greenhouse Gas Pollution under the Clean Air Act and urging the Environmental Protection Agency to move swiftly to fully employ and enforce the Clean Air Act.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City Clerk shall forward a copy of this resolution to Lisa P. Jackson of the Environmental Protection Agency and President Barack Obama.
End