Austin City Hall Bathed In Green Light To Laud Climate Pact

AUSTIN, TX — Austin City Hall was bathed in green light Saturday night in solidarity with cities across the world reaffirming commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement negotiated five years ago, officials said.

Landmark buildings in London, Paris, Tokyo and elsewhere was cast in green light on the opening day of the Climate Ambition Summit 2020, co-hosted by the United Kingdom’s Conference of the Parties 26th Meeting (COP26), the United Nations and the governments of France, Chile and Italy, local officials explained in an advisory.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler said it was fitting that municipalities play a prominent role in the global event: “Mayors are leading the fight against climate change worldwide,” he said in a prepared statement. “Most of [the] climate change mitigation happens at the local level."

Austin City Hall was bathed in green light on Saturday, Dec. 12, to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement signing. Photo courtesy of City of Austin.

The green lighting is symbolic of a shared cause, the mayor added: "Austin is committed to doing its part under the Paris Accord because our community supports climate action — it’s who we are. Lighting green city halls across the globe (like ours tonight) is a great symbol of our collective action.”

Added City Manager Spencer Cronk: “Our city is deeply committed to taking aggressive action on climate change, and we are proud to stand in solidarity with other cities today.”

Residents interested in the city's work in implementing strategies to address the challenges of climate change — along with ways they can help — are urged to visit the Austin Climate Program webpage.

Toward the goal of mitigating climate change, Austin is also part of the Race to Zero campaign — a global effort to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, investors and regions ahead of COP26, to strengthen contributions to the Paris Agreement. The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference scheduled to take place in Glasgow, United Kingdom, from Nov. 1-12, 2021.

Austin City Hall was bathed in green light on Saturday, Dec. 12, to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement signing. Photo courtesy of City of Austin.

All partners are committed to achieving a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that prevents future climate threats, creates decent jobs and builds a more inclusive and resilient economy, city officials explained.

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change, according to the United Nations website. Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels, UN officials explained.

Related story: U.S. Formally Exits Paris Pact Aimed At Curbing Climate Change

To achieve this long-term temperature goal, countries aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate neutral world by mid-century, according to the website. "The Paris Agreement is a landmark in the multilateral climate change process because, for the first time, a binding agreement brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects," UN officials wrote.

The U.S. on Nov. 4 formally exited the Paris Agreement, as the Associated Press and multiple media outlets reported at the time. Long threatened by the outgoing president, the move had the effect of isolating Washington from the rest of the world but poses no immediate impact on international efforts to curb global warming, the AP reported.

On Saturday, President-Elect Joe Biden signaled on social media that his administration would rejoin the global climate pact: "Under a Biden-Harris Administration, we will rejoin the Paris Agreement on day one, and lead the world in the fight against climate change," Biden wrote Twitter.