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RESOLUTION OF THE NEW HAVEN BOARD OF ALDERS COMMITTING THE CITY OF NEW HAVEN TO A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN ELECTRIFYING ITS BUILDINGS AND VEHICLE FLEET.
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Whereas, in 2019 New Haven declared that we face an existential climate emergency that threatens our city, region, state, nation, human civilization, and the natural world; and
Whereas, the New Haven Board of Alders officially committed to leading an emergency mobilization effort that would work to end community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by or before December 31, 2030, and immediately initiate an effort to safely draw down carbon from the atmosphere; and
Whereas, New Haven must take additional measures to decarbonize, transitioning from fossil fuel-powered buildings and transportation vehicles to electric-powered ones; and
Whereas, the COVID 19 crisis has highlighted the vulnerability of front-line communities to social, political, and environmental systems that harm respiratory health; and
Whereas, New Haven is ranked 11th of 100 US metropolitan cities that are most challenging to live with asthma by Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America in large part because of the burning of fossil fuels; and
Whereas, electrification will improve air quality as all-electric buildings will improve indoor air quality and overall health, by eliminating natural gas combustion inside homes that produces harmful indoor air pollution; and
Whereas, all-electric transportation vehicles improve outdoor air quality, particularly for residents in urban neighborhoods and for those living near major roads; and
Whereas, life expectancy in New Haven is lower than surrounding towns, due in part to poor air quality, which causes respiratory diseases, heart disease and cancer; and
Whereas, electrification is widely recognized as a powerful strategy to both combat climate change and address poor air quality in the front-line communities most harmed by climate change; and
Whereas, as a coastal city, New Haven is particularly...
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