To reduce greenhouse gas emissions more effectively, cities should collaborate with surrounding suburban and exurban areas on climate plans, researchers at the Brookings Institution argued in an April blog post.
In September, a Brookings Metro report found that “individual cities do not have the fiscal, technical, or programmatic capacity to single-handedly drive decarbonization across their metropolitan regions, and often, they do not coordinate with other jurisdictions.” For instance, a factory beyond a city’s limits could still pollute the area, even if the municipality reduces emissions.
Joseph Kane, a Brookings fellow who focuses on infrastructure, said in an interview that while cities may have robust climate plans, they “are not operating in a vacuum,” as surrounding suburbs and exurbs often aren’t included in them, even though they contribute significantly to climate change thanks to their sprawling development patterns and car dependency.
A 2014 study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley found that while metropolitan areas’ central cities have lower average carbon footprints per household, such gains are effectively canceled out by higher average household carbon footprints in the suburbs. The researchers concluded suburbs are responsible for about half of the U.S.’s total household carbon footprint.
Yet the Brookings report emphasizes that local governments — including suburbs and exurbs — cannot simply publish a climate plan and call it a day. “The goal shouldn’t be just planning for planning’s sake,” Kane said, as localities need to turn their plans into action that can actually tackle an area’s climate challenges.
One solution, according to Kane, is regional climate planning coordinated by urban, suburban and exurban municipal leaders. He said regional leaders could come together to identify the scale of the climate challenge across a region. Existing regional entities, such as metropolitan planning organizations or councils of governments, can often be starting points for coordinated climate conversations, Kane said. For instance, the San Diego Association of Governments monitors greenhouse gas emissions throughout San Diego County for a clearer picture of emissions across the wider region — not just within one city.
A regional approach may also allow local governments and agencies to share resources, as funding climate solutions can be difficult, Kane said. For example, in March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made millions of federal dollars available for city leaders interested in regional climate planning. The agency said it would award the 67 most populous metropolitan areas $1 million each to develop regional planning grants with key stakeholders in their area.
“If places can demonstrate an ability to not just make plans but to take action, there’s potentially huge federal resources to help them do that,” Kane said. “Now is the time to do that.”
Ili kupunguza uzalishaji wa gesi za chafu kwa ufanisi zaidi, miji inapaswa kushirikiana na maeneo ya vitongoji na maeneo ya nje ya miji juu ya mipango ya hali ya hewa, watafiti wa Taasisi ya Brookings walisema katika chapisho la blogi ya Aprili. Ripoti ya Brookings Metro iligundua kuwa miji ya kibinafsi haina uwezo wa kifedha, kiufundi, au wa programu ya kuendesha moja kwa moja kuondoa kaboni katika mikoa yao ya mji mkuu, na mara nyingi, haifanyi uratibu na mamlaka zingine. "Joseph Kane, mwanafunzi wa Brookings ambaye anajishughulisha na miundombinu, alisema katika mahojiano kwamba wakati miji inaweza kuwa na mipango thabiti ya hali ya hewa, ""haifanyi kazi katika utupu,"" kwani vitongoji na vitongoji vya karibu mara nyingi havijumuishwa ndani yao, ingawa wanachangia sana mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa kwa sababu ya mifumo yao ya maendeleo na utegemezi wa gari." Utafiti uliofanywa na watafiti wa Chuo Kikuu cha California, Berkeley, uligundua kuwa wakati maeneo ya mji mkuu na miji ya kati yana alama ya chini ya kaboni kwa kila nyumba, faida hizo zinakubaliwa na alama ya juu ya kaboni ya wastani ya nyumba katika vitongoji. Watafiti hao walihitimisha kuwa vitongoji vina jukumu la karibu nusu ya jumla ya alama ya kaboni ya nyumba za Marekani. Hata hivyo ripoti ya Brookings inasisitiza kwamba serikali za mitaa - ikiwa ni pamoja na vitongoji na exurbs - haziwezi tu kuchapisha mpango wa hali ya hewa na kuiita siku. "Lengo halipaswi kuwa tu kupanga kwa ajili ya kupanga", Kane alisema, kama maeneo haja ya kugeuka mipango yao katika hatua ambayo inaweza kweli kukabiliana na changamoto za hali ya hewa ya eneo hilo. Ufumbuzi mmoja, kulingana na Kane, ni mipango ya hali ya hewa ya kikanda iliyoandaliwa na viongozi wa manispaa ya mijini, vitongoji na nje ya mijini. "Mkuu huyo alisema viongozi wa mkoa wanaweza ""kuja pamoja kutambua kiwango cha changamoto ya hali ya hewa katika mkoa.""" "Kampuni za mkoa zilizopo, kama vile mashirika ya mipango ya mji mkuu au halmashauri za serikali, mara nyingi zinaweza kuwa vituo vya kuanza kwa mazungumzo ya hali ya hewa ya uratibu, ""Kane alisema." Kwa mfano, San Diego Chama cha Serikali hufuatilia uzalishaji wa gesi chafu katika Kaunti ya San Diego kwa picha wazi ya uzalishaji katika mkoa mkubwa - sio tu ndani ya jiji moja. "Kama mbinu ya kikanda inaweza pia kuruhusu serikali za mitaa na mashirika kushiriki rasilimali, kama fedha za suluhisho la hali ya hewa inaweza kuwa vigumu, ""Kane alisema." Kwa mfano, mnamo Machi, Shirika la Ulinzi wa Mazingira la Marekani lilifanya mamilioni ya dola za shirikisho ziwepo kwa viongozi wa jiji wanaopendezwa na mipango ya hali ya hewa ya kikanda. Shirika hilo limesema litawapa maeneo 67 yenye watu wengi zaidi ya mji mkuu dola milioni moja kila moja ili kuendeleza misaada ya mipango ya kikanda na wadau muhimu katika eneo lao. "Ikiwa maeneo yanaweza kuonyesha uwezo wa si tu kufanya mipango lakini kuchukua hatua, kuna uwezekano wa rasilimali kubwa za shirikisho kuwasaidia kufanya hivyo", Kane alisema. <unk>Sasa ni wakati wa kufanya hivyo.<unk>