I am grateful the Vancouver City Council temporarily banned fossil fuel infrastructure. Thank you to our mayor and council members. Let’s make that ban permanent.
It seems a big ask for the city council to act now on climate. We’re dealing with COVID-19, and racial justice is getting long-overdue attention. But our pandemic is climate related. Pollution affects minorities disproportionately, making them more susceptible to COVID-19. And our fossil fuel-based economy benefits the wealthiest, while the rest suffer job losses, homelessness and illness.
Let’s speed up what’s already in progress: the city of Vancouver’s climate plan. There is no need to idle for 18 months to assess greenhouse gas emissions, and then create a climate action plan.
The city can prevent emissions now. In buildings, which account for nearly one-third of Washington’s emissions, the city could: