I was very excited to read that our small community of Juneau was one of 340 forward looking cities to support the Climate Mayors statement. With the “mighty” Mendenhall Glacier melting before our eyes year after year, the spruce forests infected with aphids and skiing marginal in recent years, I felt proud of our community. We were joining with others to take part in a global effort to confront climate change.
As the original Paris agreement states, “this agreement does not solve climate change, it is a critical inflection point. It brings us much closer to a safer climate trajectory … current commitments are the floor, not the ceiling, of ambition.”
Maria Gladziszewski’s motion to join the Climate Mayors passed 4 to 3. Mayor Ken Koelsch, who voted against the motion, called for a reconsideration. The vote will come up again at the July 31st Assembly meeting. To Mayor Koelsch’s credit, he stated that if the majority votes to join the hundreds of other cities, he will sign the agreement.
May our capital city be a shining example of solidarity in the face of extreme climate chaos.
Linda Buckley
Juneau