Council adopts aggressive Climate Action Plan

City hopes local action makes a big difference in global issue

By Steve Law

The Portland Tribune, Oct 28, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (14 Reader comments)

Portland’s City Council approved Wednesday afternoon a 40-year plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions, voting 4-0 to enact one of most ambitious programs in the nation, if not the world, to counter global warming.

The Climate Action Plan, a joint effort by the city and Multnomah County, commits the area to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. That’s the amount many scientists calculate is needed to avert dramatic impacts from climate change.

The plan prescribes major changes in how we heat our homes and offices, how we get to school and work, how we design our neighborhoods and how we get our food.

Some people ask why Portland and Multnomah County need to adopt such an aggressive strategy instead of letting national or global programs take their course, said Multnomah County Commissioner Jeff Cogen.

“It does need to be addressed globally,” Cogen told city commissioners, “but local leadership really matters.”

Mayor Sam Adams promised the plan will help the economy by spurring green jobs, keeping Portland in the forefront so it can produce services and products that can be marketed globally.

“We have shown the rest of the world that we can be green and economically successful at the same time,” Adams said.

Setting new goals

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