Los Angeles announces ‘Green New Deal’ which aims to make city carbon neutral by 2050

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the city’s plan for a sustainable future dubbed ‘Green New Deal,’ which aims to make the second most populous city in the United States carbon neutral by 2050.

“Politicians in Washington don’t have to look across the aisle in Congress to know what a Green New Deal is — they can look across the country, to Los Angeles,” said Garcetti.

“With flames on our hillsides and floods in our streets, cities cannot wait another moment to confront the climate crisis with everything we’ve got. L.A. is leading the charge, with a clear vision for protecting the environment and making our economy work for everyone.”

L.A.’s Green New Deal is guided by four key principles: a commitment to uphold the Paris Climate Agreement; a promise to deliver environmental justice and equity through an inclusive green economy; a plan to ensure every Angeleno has the ability to join the green economy by creating pipelines to good-paying, green jobs; and a determination to lead by example within the city government.

The Green New Deal leads with bold action to zero out Los Angeles’ main sources of harmful emissions: buildings, transportation, electricity, and trash. The city’s accelerated goals and new targets include:

• Building a zero-carbon electricity grid — reaching an accelerated goal of 80% renewable energy supply by 2036.
• Creating a Jobs Cabinet to support the creation of 300,000 green jobs by 2035 and 400,000 by 2050.
• Mandating that all new municipally owned buildings and major renovations be all-electric, effective immediately and that every building in Los Angeles — from skyscrapers to single-family homes — become emissions-free by 2050.
• Achieving a zero waste future by phasing out styrofoam by 2021, ending the use of plastic straws and single-use takeout containers by 2028, and no longer sending any trash to landfills by 2050.
• Recycling 100% of wastewater by 2035; sourcing 70% of water locally — a significant increase from the existing pathway; and nearly tripling the maximum amount of stormwater captured.
• Planting and maintaining at least 90,000 trees — which will provide 61 million square feet of shade — citywide by 2021 and increasing tree canopy in low-income, severely heat impacted areas by at least 50% by 2028.

“The Green New Deal’s targets solidify L.A.’s position as the national leader in solar energy, electric vehicle infrastructure, and green jobs. It incorporates initiatives from 44 partner organizations, employing a unique, collaborative, multi-sector approach to meeting our shared goals of a more sustainable, equitable city. Our plan also calls for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 — outpacing the standards set by the United Nations IPCC report,” he said.

Taken together, by 2050, the milestones of L.A.’s Green New Deal are expected to save more than 1,600 lives, 660 trips to the hospital, and USD16 billion in avoided healthcare expenses each year.