Pittsburgh made headlines a little over a year ago when Mayor Bill Peduto promised that the city would still follow the guidelines of the Paris climate agreement even after President Donald Trump said the United States would withdraw.
After the president famously said that he was elected to represent the people of Pittsburgh, not Paris, Mr. Peduto’s vow was one of a number of similar statements from local leaders across the country who promised to fight climate change even without the help of leaders in Washington, D.C. And, on Sunday, Pittsburgh received a big boost from prospective presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg.
Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire media executive and former mayor of New York, joined Mr. Peduto at the West End Overlook to announce that Pittsburgh is one of 20 cities across the country to win the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge. Each of the winning cities will receive two years of guidance, resources and environmental support through Bloomberg Philanthropies to accelerate their efforts to fight climate change, a package valued at about $2.5 million for each winner.
Mr. Bloomberg also showed a brief preview of a new National Geographic documentary, “Paris to Pittsburgh,” a film about climate change that is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and features Mr. Peduto.
“I think Pittsburgh is a great example of a city that is benefiting from smart climate policies,” Mr. Bloomberg said, adding that he remembers visiting the city years ago and struggling to “see across the street” because the air quality was so poor.
“Fighting climate change and growing the economy really go hand in hand, and good mayors know that,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “Even when the White House does not.”
His foundation started the Cities Climate Challenge in June, a year after Mr. Trump announced he would withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. The international accord, which was signed in 2015, attempts to limit warming trends and cap the global temperature increase at less than 2 degrees Celsius.
This spring, Pittsburgh City Council adopted a revised climate plan — called Climate Action Plan 3.0 — that strives to slash energy and water use by 50 percent citywide, setting several goals for 2030.
Specifically, the city government will attempt to rely on 100 percent renewable energy, switch to a vehicle fleet that’s free of fossil fuels and divest from fossil-fuel companies, among other goals under the advisory plan. Citywide objectives include a 50 percent reduction in transportation-related emissions tied to climate change.
In a news release, city officials said they plan to use the prize to help increase renewable power throughout the city through new community solar programs, continue energy efficiency efforts through new financing programs and implementation of the city’s new energy transparency benchmarking ordinance, and expand bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
Mr. Peduto said Pittsburgh still has a “ways to go” but is also an example of a city that can “destroy its environment” and still make a comeback and grow its economy.
“We have traveled further than any other city, from the environmental degradation that was part of our city’s fabric to where we are now,” he said.
Other winning cities announced this weekend include Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C.
Mr. Bloomberg, who on Sunday also visited a Moms Demand Action event in the West End celebrating new gun control legislation in Pennsylvania, is reportedly considering a presidential run as a Democrat in 2020, according to The New York Times. When reporters asked him about his plans on Sunday, he said he is currently focused on the upcoming midterm elections, helping flip congressional seats and electing candidates who will prioritize issues like climate change and gun law reform.
“I think that this country is in real trouble,” he said.
Elizabeth Behrman: Lbehrman@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1590 or @Ebehrman on Twitter.
First Published: October 21, 2018, 9:26 p.m.