Some cities talk about, city planners develop grand plans for making it happen, and governments advocate it, but how real is the goal of making an entire city carbon neutral?
San Francisco’s mayor recently devised a plan that will help make its residents offset their greenhouse gases. The plan starts with a city fund, which will help both industry and consumers lessen their impact on the earth.
Putting words into actions, Mayor Gavin Newsom, would legislate that the city government be the first to contribute carbon offset fees to cover air travel (that would equal about $80 to New York for a roundtrip flight).
The fees would later extend to car trips. And within a year, city residents will be invited to participate in the fund on a voluntary basis, of course.
Would this be another burden on the taxpayer? The Mayor thinks not. Fees for buying offsets would come from the city’s existing travel budget, and will encourage people to use less long-distance travel.
Newsom himself buys offsets for his travel, but expressed concern over the transparency and accountability of the carbon offset market.
“Right now I don’t necessarily know for certain that those offsets are being purchased, that they are still in effect - and I don’t know who necessarily is benefiting,” he said, referring to the offsets he has bought.
Some reports have cited that San Fran is set to become the world’s first carbon neutral city, but we’ve heard otherwise. Academics we’ve talked to, have said that Americans are good at talking; realistic plans and projects are really being led by the Europeans.
And if you’ve ever had the chance to visit both European cities and American ones, the differences are still pretty obvious.
In Europe, cultured people do not ask for take-away coffees. People tend to carry their own reusable shopping bags, by default; apartments tend to be much smaller; and in cities such as France – despite the summer heat – they are not addicted to air conditioners.
But San Francisco’s mayor will continue to plan ahead and if his becomes America’s first carbon neutral city, then let’s hope others will follow suit.
By keeping carbon offsetting local, consumer confidence in offsetting can be bolstered. For one, contributors to the fund can monitor each program every step of the way, and seeing with one’s own eyes, is always better for believing.
San Fran has already converted its buses to biofuel and was the first city to ban plastic bags. Newsom concluded, “This city has always been on the forefront and on the cutting edge in terms of environmental stewardship, but I still think we’ve been playing in the margins. The whole idea of these initiatives is to get to that next level.”