The City of West Hollywood’s Mayor, Lindsey P. Horvath, has signed on to the Compact of Mayors, a global coalition of city leaders dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making communities more resilient to climate change, and reporting progress publicly on a regular basis. The Compact of Mayors was launched in September 2014 by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, Michael R. Bloomberg.

On Monday, August 24, 2015, The White House noted the City of West Hollywood’s commitment in the Compact of Mayors in President Barack Obama’s announcement of new actions to bring renewable energy and energy efficiency to households across the country: http://buff.ly/1U2uakG

“I’m thrilled to join the world’s largest cooperative effort among mayors and city leaders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mayor Horvath. “In signing on with the Compact of Mayors, West Hollywood will more effectively track its progress on climate issues and will be better prepared for the future effects of climate change.”

The Compact of Mayors requires city leaders who sign-on to take stock of greenhouse emissions and the current effects of climate change in their municipalities, to create action plans with ambitious reduction targets, to implement a common system of measuring emissions, and to monitor climate risks. Cities account for 70 percent of the world’s total energy-related carbon emissions. The data collected through the Compact of Mayors will help quantify the impact that city actions have on global greenhouse gas emissions and climate resilience, and will establish an accountability and reporting framework to track progress on commitments over time.

The City of West Hollywood has a strong record of instituting progressive and forward-thinking environmental policies. In 2011, the City released its Climate Action Plan, which is designed to address climate change and reduce the community’s greenhouse gas emissions at the local level. Although climate change is a global problem, the City recognizes that many strategies to adapt to a changing climate are best enacted at the local level. The City’s Climate Action Plan outlines a series of actions that West Hollywood is taking to reduce its contributions to global climate change by reducing GHG emissions. A PDF download of the City’s Climate Action Plan is available at www.weho.org/home/showdocument?id=7949

For more information about the Compact of Mayors, please visit www.compactofmayors.org.

For additional information, please contact the office of City of West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath at (323) 848-6460. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.