May 16, 2019
Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles has recently unveiled his sweeping plan to establish a more sustainable and ecological Los Angeles. In his plan, he called for dramatic changes to be made to the city's car culture, air quality, and overall infrastructure environment. Through the mayor’s sustainability plan, many interested parties are imagining a city that will have 80 percent of their vehicles running on zero-emission fuel or electricity by the mid-2030s. Many believe that 80 percent of this electricity will be readily available from renewable resources. Los Angeles locals will be able to drive 2,000 fewer miles every year than they currently do. This will be a far cry from the modern environment in LA, where tailpipe pollution, gridlocks and polluted air have defined the experience for millions.
Mayor Garcetti has cited the threat of climate change as being the driving force behind his ideas and plans. Scientists say that climate change is fueling deadlier and bigger wildfires, floods and heatwave all over the world, and particularly in California. The mayor worries that if the major city does not take the initiative now, in a few decades the city may not have other priorities available than pure survival. This, in turn, will harmfully impact the four million people living in the city. The mayor has said that Los Angeles needs to be able to lead and that the rest of the world should be ready to act by example.
Garcetti is currently planning on pitching the plan as an option designed to be Los Angeles's version of the Green New Deal, which is based on the series of economic justice and climate change policies first popularized by activists like Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. Although City Hall ultimately has limited control over the city's ability to meet the targets of the plan, many believe that by establishing the sustainability road map, there is a great chance of success slowly starting to snowball into real change. At specific sections of the plan, individuals may expect reiteration of existing clean energy and climate standard commitments.
In at least two sections of the plan, however, new and ambitious targets are set in order to optimize the way the city handles ecological actions. Both transportation and building standards, which have been measured to account for over three-quarters of the city’s emissions, are targeted in order to improve long-term sustainability. The mayor hopes to reduce the amount of time that locals spend on the road driving personally and optimizing the performance of public transportation options. Many locals are excited to see how the plan develops, and there may be new developments as time goes on.