Atlanta has become the 27th city in the country to officially commit to transition to 100% renewable energy, according to the Sierra Club.
The Atlanta City Council on Monday unanimously approved a measure that establishes a community-wide goal of transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2035. The resolution also directs the Atlanta Office of Sustainability to develop a plan by January 2018 to meet the 100% target across all city operations by 2025 and community-wide by 2035.
Atlanta represents the first city in Georgia and the biggest southern city to commit to 100% renewable energy, according to the Sierra Club. In a statement, Ted Terry, director of the advocacy groups’ Georgia chapter, says, “Cities like Atlanta must lead the way in confronting the threat of climate change and accelerating the transition to 100 percent clean energy. Today’s commitment will inspire bold, ambitious leadership from cities throughout the United States and pave the way for a healthier and stronger Atlanta.”
Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall, who introduced the resolution, says, “We know that moving to clean energy will create good jobs, clean up our air and water and lower our residents’ utility bills. We never thought we’d be away from landline phones or desktop computers, but today, we carry our smartphones around and they’re more powerful than anything we used to have. We have to set an ambitious goal, or we’re never going to get there.”
Atlanta’s newly approved goal comes just weeks after South Lake Tahoe, Calif., became the 26th city in the U.S. and the latest in a growing coalition of mountain communities to officially commit to 100% renewable energy.
