Commentary: Battling climate change begins at home

When it comes to climate change, most of us look at gridlocked Washington, or read about the science wars, and think, what can one individual do?

The answer, increasingly and surprisingly, is that individuals are already making a difference — in their own home towns.

Eighty percent of U.S. citizens now live in cities. Because we consume 75% of all energy and generate 70% of the global-warming gases, we are also in a position to find solutions that work.

Unlike national governments, cities and local agencies are rapidly passing building and zoning codes, offering incentives, revamping transportation and transit, and making water, sewage and waste disposal systems more efficient.

Many, like Long Beach, have also appointed local residents to sustainability commissions to recommend policies related to resource conservation, air and water quality, alternative transportation and education programs. Hundreds of cities, such as Los Angeles and Santa Monica, have appointed sustainability directors to work with all departments in the city.

Some city leaders are motivated by fear of floods and droughts and what they might cost. A recent University of California study put the impact of unchecked climate change at tens of billions of dollars per year.

Some, especially in California, are responding to government mandates to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change, energy use, transportation and waste. Some adopt plans and goals and think that’s enough.

Others, like members of Green Cities California, cities that go beyond the requirements, save 10 million pounds of CO2 emissions, 23 million gallons of water and 6,600 barrels of oil a year. After San Francisco completed more than 150 energy-efficiency projects in its city buildings, it now saves about $4.6 million a year. San Diego found stimulus funds to create one of the world’s largest electric-vehicle charging environments. So far, the city has installed 300 of 1,000 planned charging stations.

Locally, Anaheim was named the most sustainable city in Orange County by the local chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. Irvine was No. 2. Huntington Beach was an honorable mention.

What works in some cities might not work in others though. Cities are learning as they go, sharing what works and what doesn’t through organizations big and small, like the ICLEI, an international environmental agency for local governments, and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network.

Except perhaps in Florida, where the governor banned use of the words “climate change,” most efforts show that local concerns over climate change, drought and energy independence are not necessarily political in nature.

The mayor of Lancaster, a Republican, recently made news by instigating mandates to require solar panels on all new buildings, a first for the country. Sustainability programs in Huntington Beach began with the visitor’s bureau.

Now when elected an representative throws snowballs in Congress, we can take heart, knowing that while federal action would help, we can go down to city hall and get something done.

LYNN SMITH, a former Los Angeles Times staff writer, lives in Newport Beach.