Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
10 <br /> WHEREAS, the death and destruction already wrought by global warming of approximately <br /> 1.1°C above late 19th century levels demonstrates that the Earth is already too hot for safety <br /> and justice as attested by increased and intensifying wildfires, floods, rising seas, diseases, <br /> droughts and extreme weather; and <br /> WHEREAS, restoring a safe and stable climate requires a "Climate Mobilization" at all levels of <br /> government on a scale not seen since World War II to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions <br /> across all sectors at emergency speed, to rapidly and safely drawdown or remove all the excess <br /> carbon from the atmosphere, to end the 6th mass extinction of species, and to implement <br /> measures to protect all people and species from the increasingly severe consequences of <br /> climate change; and <br /> WHEREAS, to address the nation's urgent climate change needs and impacts, <br /> Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has proposed a "Green New Deal"; and <br /> WHEREAS, the proposed Green New Deal would be a sweeping overhaul of the economy that <br /> includes equity and justice in its solutions and has the following goals: <br /> 1. Dramatically expand existing renewable power sources and deploy new production <br /> capacity with the goal of meeting 100% of national power demand through renewable <br /> sources; <br /> 2. building a national, energy-efficient, "smart" grid; <br /> 3. upgrading every residential and industrial building for state-of-the-art energy efficiency, <br /> comfort and safety; <br /> 4. eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacturing, agricultural and other <br /> industries, including by investing in local-scale agriculture in communities across the <br /> country; <br /> 5. eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from repairing and improving transportation and <br /> other infrastructure, and upgrading water infrastructure to ensure universal access to <br /> clean water; <br /> 6. funding massive investment in the drawdown of greenhouse gases; <br /> 7. making "green" technology, industry, expertise, products and services a major export of <br /> the United States, with the aim of becoming an international leader in helping other <br /> countries transition to completely greenhouse gas neutral economies and bringing about <br /> a global Green New Deal. <br /> WHEREAS, justice calls for climate resilience that addresses the specific experiences, <br /> vulnerabilities, and needs of marginalized communities within our jurisdiction, who must be <br /> included and supported in actively engaging in climate resilience planning, policy, and actions; <br /> and <br /> WHEREAS, actions to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and/or drawdown greenhouse <br /> gases may be taken in ways that also improve resilience to the effects of climate change, and <br /> vice versa; and <br /> WHEREAS, justice requires that frontline communities, which have historically borne the brunt <br /> of the extractive fossil-fuel economy, participate actively in the planning and implementation of <br /> this mobilization effort at all levels of government and that they benefit first from the transition to <br /> a renewable energy economy; and <br /> WHEREAS, fairness demands the protection and expansion of workers' right to organize as <br /> well as a guarantee of high-paying, high-quality jobs with comprehensive benefits for all and <br />