As I wrote last June in Trump catalyst: thinking people moved to action at last? the upside of a Trump Presidency was the potential prod to individual action among complacent masses. And happily, that seems to be happening. See Watch the growth of cities using 100% renewable energy:
“There’s been a sharp rise in environmental reporting since the last time we did this,” says Kyra Appleby, head of CDP’s cities program. “There has been a lot of momentum in U.S. cities in the absence of federal leadership on climate change. You are seeing large cities across the U.S. making the switch.”
U.S. cities already over 70% include Seattle; Eugene, Oregon; and Aspen, Colorado. Burlington, Vermont, is the most renewable, with fully 100% clean electricity already. Atlanta, Georgia, and San Diego, California, are the latest to commit to going to 100% of renewables, joining about 50 others, according to separate figures kept by the Sierra Club.
The role of cities is crucial for fighting climate change, as they account for about 70% of the U.S.’s emissions. The Sierra Club says if the whole U.S. Conference of Mayors, representing 1,481 cities, committed to 100% renewables, it would have a bigger impact than if the whole U.S. followed through on the Paris Agreement
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