Mayor Announces Climate Initiatives, but Activists Are Unimpressed

Mayor John Cooper on Thursday announced a series of actions aimed at reducing the city’s greenhouse-gas emissions and addressing global climate change, at least insofar as a single city can.

Cooper said he has joined the Global Covenant of Mayors with plans to participate in the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a coalition of nearly 100 cities around the world seeking to tackle the issue.

The mayor said he will include funding for a solar-power array on the roof of the Metro Courthouse in the next capital improvements budget, create an energy-savings program to fund efficiency efforts in government facilities, establish a sustainability advisory board and back new Metro Council legislation strengthening tree protections. He also celebrated energy efficiency certifications for new Metro buildings.

“As we enjoy the holiday season, it is perhaps likely we will not see a proverbial white Christmas this year,” Cooper said. “But we can certainly work to have a green one. To ensure that our environment is as safeguarded as our pocketbooks, I am proud to announce these initial sustainability projects and policies with the guarantee that more are forthcoming, for the sake of our children and all future Nashvillians.”

The tree canopy legislation, sponsored by Councilmember Angie Henderson, falls short of a wholesale revision of current code suggested by some, the administration notes in a press release.

“Incremental measures can at least continue the momentum forward until Metro’s fiscal house is in order,” the office wrote.

It’s that perceived lack of urgency that leaves activists with the Sunrise Movement, who protested at Cooper’s office on his first day on the job, wanting.

"This proposal is not even close to any Green New Deal targets, which are based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change goals for averting the worst climate impacts,” said local Sunrise leader Tommy Embers. "It is not even close to any actually necessary action. We’re not here for crumbs. We’re fighting for our future. The mayor needs to declare a climate emergency, commit to public transit improvements and green affordable housing, and get real, ambitious action from TVA."

Councilmember Freddie O’Connell, who filed a suite of bills that he described as a Green New Deal for Nashville earlier this year, was more supportive of the mayor’s announcement.

From O’Connell:

On solar, the announced projects are very good, but I think we also need to be vocal about our need to develop more capacity for community solar. … I hope the mayor will encourage Nashvillians to go solar or give solar with our current community solar project.

I’m excited to see that the mayor is extending an idea with General Services that emerged during our Green New Deal discussions last term. The mayor supported that legislation, and I’m obviously very encouraged by his continuing the momentum we built. …

I hope the Sustainability Advisory Board will truly focus on policy implementation, as there are a number of initiatives from the Green Ribbon Committee, Livable Nashville and Gear Up 2020 that would support his goals if implemented.

I do plan to co-sponsor the tree ordinance, as our urban canopy has been devastated in infill neighborhoods.

If we’re serious about climate, we’ll also be serious about transit, so I look forward to seeing the mayor’s transit plan in the spring.