After three community meetings, the Cambridge Climate Congress finalized its recommendations for an all-city awareness and response campaign, and for city responses to the Climate Emergency.  The City Council will receive the Climate Congress communication at the upcoming March 22nd City Council meeting.  This would be an opportunity for the public to provide additional comments on the Climate Congress report and activities.

The third Climate Congress held on March sixth had passed three acts by an overwhelming majority of those attending.  The first act endorsed was an appeal to the Cambridge citizens, organizations, businesses, and institutions to join in a civic response to the Climate Emergency and work with the City government to implement climate protection actions and policies.   Act 2 and 3 concern recommendations to the city on how they can address climate change.  The city was called to take a number of actions including:

• establish appropriate annual and long-term goals for reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions
• take action to reduce its own greenhouse emissions to the greatest extent possible and encourage others to do so as well
• develop and implement a campaign that raises awareness of the Climate Emergency throughout the city
• create a robust administrative and governance structure for mobilizing response to the Climate Emergency and implementing climate protection measures

A subsequent meeting to follow up on progress made after the climate congress is planned to be held in October of 2010.  To learn more about the climate congress visit: http://www.cambridgema.gov/deptann.cfm?story_id=2457&pv=Yes