LA Councilmembers Seek Enhancement Of Carbon Impact Tracking

Press release from the office of Councilmember Paul Koretz, Fifth District:

March 5, 2021

Los Angeles City Councilmember Koretz introduced a motion asking the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation and Chief Legislative Analyst, among others City departments, to report back on the feasibility of developing or procuring artificial intelligence (AI) technology to provide a more accurate accounting of the City’s carbon footprint, as well as regular reporting and public disclosure of the City’s organization-wide greenhouse gas emissions.

The motion was introduced in concert with the passage of a Resolution introduced by Councilmembers Koretz and de León in support of SB 260 (Wiener). If the bill is signed into law, it would be the first in the country to require companies doing business in California and grossing over $1 billion annually to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and set science-based targets to reduce those emissions.

“I’m proud to support Senator Weiner's innovative efforts,” said Councilmember Koretz. “90 percent of the S&P 500 released sustainability reports in 2019, but those reports are often too little, too late. Large corporations carry an immense carbon footprint, and if they’re going to make headway on reducing emissions, they need to more effectively count and report those impacts.

“At the same time. the City provides a number of services - from lighting and maintaining municipal buildings, facilities and streetlights, to paving roads and operating a transit fleet, and delivering water and operating reclamation facilities - all of which come with environmental impacts. If we’re going to take our carbon reduction goals seriously, and make a real difference in the lives of frontline communities near LAX and the Port of Los Angeles, we need a better, more consistent, and more transparent accounting of our emissions.”

“Data drives decision making and without data, we cannot chart a path towards a zero-emission future," said Councilmember Joe Buscaino. "Today's generation of leaders must continue to address climate change with urgency and be held accountable to the goals we set for Los Angeles, and this motion sets us on the path to do just that.”

"Technology is available that will help us combat climate change through better transparency," said Councilmember Mike Bonin. "We have an obligation to do everything in our power to prevent the worst damage caused by the pollution poisoning our climate - and that work requires good information. This action brings us closer to harnessing technology to get a better understanding of how we can reduce our carbon pollution, which will allow us to chart a course toward a cleaner and more sustainable Los Angeles."

“I applaud the Los Angeles City Council for recognizing the urgency of our climate crisis and the need to take decisive action to save our planet,” said Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), the author of SB 260. “The Climate Corporate Accountability Act will hold our largest corporations accountable for their contributions to climate change by requiring them to disclose and reduce their carbon footprint. As government officials, we also have a responsibility to ensure our municipalities are transparently tracking and reporting carbon emissions, so I commend the City Council for moving Los Angeles in that direction. Fighting climate change takes a huge team effort and numerous strategies. I look forward to continuing to work with the Council on this critically important effort.”

This press release was produced by the office of Councilmember Paul Koretz, Fifth District. The views expressed here are the author's own.