Orange County NC Website
Attachment 6 <br /> DURHAM BOARD OFF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br /> RESOLUTION OF THE DURHAM COUNTY COMMISSION SUPPORTING A <br /> TRANSITION TO RENEWABLE ENERGY, THE CREATION OF GREEN JOBS, AND <br /> A FEDERAL PRICE ON CARBON <br /> WHEREAS, climate change is real, it is affecting our community now, and the choices we make <br /> today will affect future generations; and <br /> WHEREAS, an increase in the global average temperature, if not stopped, will have major adverse <br /> impacts on both the natural and human-made environments due to longer, more <br /> intense heat waves, prolonged droughts, rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and <br /> more intense and frequent extreme weather events; and <br /> WHEREAS, these physical effects are expected to lead to water scarcity, food insecurity, <br /> increasing numbers of refugees, increased poverty, and mass extinctions of species; <br /> and <br /> WHEREAS, low-income communities and communities of color in North Carolina and the United <br /> States are disproportionately exposed to hazardous pollutants released by fossil fuel <br /> burning that can lead to serious health problems such as cancer and asthma <br /> exacerbation; and <br /> WHEREAS, a Stanford University and University of California-Davis study concludes the United <br /> States energy supply could be based entirely on renewable energy by the year 2050 <br /> using current technologies and 80 percent renewable energy by 2030 while creating <br /> numerous green jobs; and <br /> WHEREAS, leading economists,policy experts, and business leaders conclude that transitioning to <br /> a clean energy economy would create millions of green jobs nationally, improve <br /> living standards, and boost economic growth; and <br /> WHEREAS, municipalities, organizations, businesses, and academic institutions around the world <br /> have set a goal to achieve carbon or climate neutrality by 2050 or earlier; and <br /> WHEREAS, Durham's former mayor William V. "Bill" Bell joined over 1,000 other mayors in <br /> signing on to the US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement to commit <br /> to significantly reduce carbon emissions in their cities to combat climate change, and <br /> Mayor Steve Schewel has recommitted Durham to this agreement going forward; and <br /> WHEREAS, former Mayor William V. `Bill" Bell committed Durham to upholding the <br /> commitments of the Paris Agreement through the Mayors National Climate Action <br /> Agenda; and <br /> ]c <br /> �r <br /> a r <br />