Somerville has made the 2022 Carbon Disclosure Project’s cities A-List, an award for leadership on environmental action and transparency. Only 12% of the 1,002 cities evaluated worldwide received this designation based on commitment to long-term climate action plans, fossil fuel emission reduction targets and local climate risk assessments.
Compared to non-A-List cities, A-list cities like Somerville are taking about three times as many mitigation and adaptation measures and have made long-term or mid-term targets to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, according to the CDP.
Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, who recently supported a measure to create a net-zero fossil fuel emissions policy for new construction and renovations in the city, commended the work of the city’s Office of Sustainability in a statement made to the Daily.
“I’m so thrilled that the hard work of our sustainability office has been recognized by CDP,” Ballantyne wrote in a statement to the Daily. “Somerville is proud to be a leader in adopting innovative and forward looking policies that help fight climate change, and we will continue our work to build towards a more sustainable future.”
