Mayor Ras J. Baraka and Chief Sustainability Officer Nathaly Agosto Filión announced today that the City of Newark signed the “Chicago Charter” along with 49 other North American municipalities at the North American Climate Summit today, hosted by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Mexico City Mayor Ángel Mancera, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, and Global Covenant of Mayors Vice Chair Christiana Figueres.

The charter commits its signing municipalities to work separately and together to meet the standards set by the Paris Agreement to reduce carbon emissions in their cities, and defies the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from that agreement. The conference was held in Chicago between December 4 and December 6.

“It is up to our cities, communities, and neighborhoods to do what Trump refuses to do. In Newark, we have undertaken pioneering efforts to create a more sustainable city, and we will unite with our sister cities across the world to create a sustainable planet. What we do in Newark will help save our planet not only by protecting our portion of it, but by helping to define the course we must take as a global community,” Mayor Baraka said.

The Newark Office of Sustainability partners with representatives from various municipal departments, the Environmental Commission, and members of the Newark community to advance a multi-pronged agenda aimed at making Newark a cleaner, greener, and healthier city. The Newark Sustainability Action Plan, currently undergoing a five-year update, details the City’s efforts to promote energy efficiency, boost recycling, plant trees, increase urban farming, reduce air pollution, clean up brownfields, and more.

At the North American Climate Summit, cities are taking action to articulate commitments to the Paris Agreement and highlight the scope and scale of city climate action in the United States following the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. By signing the Chicago Climate Charter, cities are pledging to:

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• Achieve a percent reduction in carbon emissions in line with the Paris Agreement; 
• Quantify, track and publicly report city emissions, consistent with standards
• and best practices of measurement and transparency;
• Advocate alongside other mayors for greater local authority and flexibility to develop policies and local laws that empower cities to take aggressive action on climate;
• Recognize and include groups traditionally underrepresented in climate policy;
• Incorporate the realities of climate change and its impacts into local infrastructure and emergency planning through strategies of adaptation and resilience;
• Support strong regional, state and federal policies and partnerships, as well as private sector initiatives, that incentivize the transition to a new climate economy; and
• Partner with experts, communities, businesses, environmental justice groups, advocates and other allies to develop holistic climate mitigation and resilience solutions.

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The signed charter is available at www.northamericanclimatesummit.com.

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