This weekend, delegates from 196 countries gathered at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change conference in Paris and established a new international agreement to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. 

Around the world, cities have been leaders in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while advancing sustainability and improving quality of life for residents.  The City of Knoxville is no exception. Between 2005 and 2012, Knoxville cut municipal greenhouse gas emissions nearly 13 percent by reducing utility and fuel use in City operations. At the community level, emissions are down nearly 8 percent. These reductions show significant progress toward the City’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by 2020.  

Recognizing the City of Knoxville’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, Mayor Madeline Rogero recently committed to the Compact of Mayors, a global coalition of city leaders dedicated to reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making their communities more resilient to climate change, and regularly reporting their progress publicly.

“The Compact of Mayors reinforces our city’s commitment to its people and its businesses,” said Mayor Rogero. “By committing to the Compact of Mayors, we are continuing our work to make Knoxville a place where people want to live and where businesses want to invest. Knoxville’s sustainability efforts have made practical, tangible improvements at the local level, while also helping address the global challenge of climate change.”

Recent research shows that if every local government  in the world took action in accordance with the Compact of Mayors — particularly by targeting their building energy, transportation, and waste sectors — global greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced  by the equivalent of cutting more than half of the world’s annual coal use.

To learn more about the City of Knoxville’s work related to climate and sustainability, visit the Office of Sustainability webpage at www.knoxvilletn.gov/sustainability. 

Visit www.compactofmayors.org to learn more about the Compact of Mayors.