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• rise in sea level impacting on coastal areas and low-lying regions <br />Impact on Local C~nvernments <br />Scientists also anticipate climate change to detrimentally affect cities and urban areas. Regional <br />temperature rises will foster more smog. Changes in precipitation will adversely affect urban water <br />supplies. An increase in extreme weather events will cause damage to urban infrastructure; and sea <br />level rise will eventually inundate infrastructure and settlements in many coastal cities. Local <br />governments, therefore, have plenty of reason to act to avoid the long-term local risks of climate <br />change. They also have plenty of reason to act to realize the multiple benefits of cleaner and more <br />efficient energy, including improved local air quality. <br />Role of Local Governments <br />Local governments, through their leadership and decision-making powers directly influence and control <br />many of the activities that produce the emissions that cause global warming and air pollution. Local <br />governments own, operate, or influence: <br />• local government facilities and operations such as municipal buildings, street lighting, <br />recreation facilities, wastewater treatment plants <br />• building codes and permits that determine the energy efficiency of residential and commercial <br />buildings <br />• landfill sites and the production of methane emissions <br />• waste collection and management including recycling, compost or waste reduction programs <br />• land use planning and development that determine the density, mixture and physical layout of <br />buildings, neighborhoods and communities <br />• transportation infrastructure that determines the transportation choices of residents and <br />businesses, affecting the level and type of transportation energy consumed and the number and <br />length of vehicle trips <br />• public works infrastructure such as water supply, sewage, and other public works <br />If there is to be success in addressing the issue of climate change, then the reduction of GHG emissions <br />must also be addressed at the local level. Most of the measures utilized by local governments to reduce <br />GHG emissions also address concerns that dominate most municipal agendas. The Cites for Climate <br />ProtectionTM (CCP) Campaign methodology results in local governments choosing GHG emissions <br />reduction measures that bring such co-benefits as: <br />financial savings through energy and fuel efficiency <br />green space preservation <br />local economic development and job creation through the demand for energy efficiency and <br />new energy systems <br />air pollution reduction <br />traffic congestion improvements <br />• community livability improvement <br />