Mayoral Roundtable Remarks

C40 North American Climate Summit

Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017

Addressing climate change through transportation policy in Austin is thinking globally but acting locally. Preserving our environment is a big priority in Austin. It’s huge. But most Austinites, stuck in rush hour traffic every day, will tell you traffic is the most immediate, in-your-face challenge.

As big as that traffic challenge is, our climate protection goals are even bigger. We want to achieve net-zero community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Getting there will require very directed and deliberate action. We’ve begun the process of closing our only coal plant and that will help. But we’re going to need to reduce our transportation carbon footprint if we’re going to make a big difference fighting climate change. Continue reading →