Mayors of 19 major global cities—including eight U.S. cities—have signed the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Declaration, pledging that all new buildings in their cities will operate at net zero carbon by 2030 and all buildings—old or new—will meet net-zero carbon standards by 2050, according to www.builderonline.com. The World Green Building Council defines "net-zero carbon building" as "a building that is highly energy-efficient and fully powered from on-site and/or off-site renewable energy sources."
The declaration, which was signed before the upcoming Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, was created through C40 Cities, a climate leadership group that represents the ongoing commitment of 96 global cities and more than 700 million people to the "highest goals" of the Paris Agreement, including the reduction of global warming to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius.
U.S. cities involved include Los Angeles; Newburyport, Mass.; New York City; Portland, Ore.; San Francisco; San Jose, Calif.; Santa Monica, Calif.; and Washington, D.C.
Each city pledged to establish a plan leading to net-zero carbon implementation; develop construction incentives and programs; and report annually regarding their progress. Although city governments do not have direct control over all buildings in a city, the declaration includes a pledge to work with state and regional governments, as well as the private sector, to enact this change. It also calls for federal and national governments to take similar actions.
Thirteen cities—including Portland, San Jose, Santa Monica and Newburyport—have made an additional commitment to own, develop and occupy only net-zero carbon assets by 2030.
