The Climate Resolution
The Bloomington Youth for Environmental Sustainability (Y.E.S.)’s Resolution for Environmental Responsibility and Improvement
WHEREAS, in the last decade, Indiana residents have experienced record-breaking heat waves, cold spells, and floods, which have shut down roads, damaged homes and businesses, prolonged construction projects, and made farming increasingly difficult; and
WHEREAS, the number of extremely hot days per year in southern Indiana is projected to rise to between thirty-eight and fifty-one by mid-century; these changes in Indiana’s climate are projected to increase the amount of energy that Hoosier businesses need to cool commercial buildings by 20%; and
WHEREAS, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that the average temperature in Indiana has risen by 1.2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1895, and is expected to increase by 5 or more degrees by 2050; and
WHEREAS, carbon emissions raise global temperatures by trapping solar energy in the atmosphere; and
WHEREAS, combustion of fossil fuels can lead to increased amounts of air pollutants, such as nitrous oxides, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds, and particulate matter. This reduced air quality leads to increased risk of asthma attacks, high blood pressure, and heart disease, and it can exacerbate symptoms of mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds lead to ground-level ozone production and smog; and
WHEREAS, record setting highs for annual global mean temperatures have been recorded 12 times since 1979, with 2014, 2015, and 2016 each breaking the record; and
WHEREAS, Indiana’s frost free season, in which the temperature continuously stays above 32°F, has been extended by an average of nine days beyond what it was in 1895. By 2050, it’s projected that the frost-free season will extend up to weeks beyond the 1915-2013 average. This will cause an increase in insect-borne diseases (such as those carried by mosquitoes, ticks, and parasites); and
WHEREAS, Purdue University’s Indiana Climate Change Assessment found that temperature increases decrease soil moisture retention, and extreme rain events cause soil erosion and nutrient runoff. These effects of climate change are a threat to important Indiana crops such as corn, wheat, and soybeans, as shown by the EPA findings that high temperature events have caused over $1 billion in heat-related losses to the agriculture industry, especially farmers; and
WHEREAS, increasing temperatures will increase the rate at which blue-green algae can grow. This type of algae is very common in Indiana lakes and streams and is known to have deleterious effects on human health, such as vomiting, nausea, fever, and skin irritation upon skin contact or inhalation, and in rare cases, life-threatening effects; and
WHEREAS, increasing temperatures cause changes in habitats that encourage invasive species, and higher concentrations of carbon dioxide promote the growth of plants like poison ivy and ragweed; and
WHEREAS, the average Bloomington resident is burning over 20 metric tons of CO2 per year; and
WHEREAS, grid-supplied electricity is the greatest source of CO2 emissions in Bloomington, Indiana; and
WHEREAS, the Purdue Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment report estimated that the average annual precipitation in Indiana has increased 5.6 inches since 1895, with winters and springs experiencing heavier rain and snowfall, increasing the likelihood of flooding, and polluting water as sewer systems overflow, which can be shown through the fact that, due to annual precipitation increase, there have been around 60 sewer discharges per year in Indianapolis alone, sending 8 billion gallons of untreated sewage into the White River, worsening both water quality and crop productivity; and
WHEREAS, non-commercial vehicles in Bloomington emitted 96,061 metric tons of CO2 and commercial vehicles in Bloomington emitted 20,730 metric tons of CO2 in 2015 alone; and
WHEREAS, the members of the Bloomington Commission on Sustainability, the members of the Bloomington City Council, and Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton have consistently shown themselves to be advocates for and allies of the environment and public health.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA:
SECTION 1. The City of Bloomington will encourage all new, commercial buildings and all new, city-owned buildings to be constructed with at least half of the roof being a green roof, a solar roof, a white roof, or a sand roof. A green roof would require the rooftop space to be covered in vegetation in an attempt to sequester carbon from the atmosphere and back into the plants and soil. A solar roof would require solar panels covering the rooftop space in order to generate electricity for the building and/or the city as a whole. A white roof or sand roof would require buildings to have their roofs painted completely white or covered in sand, which would increase the building’s albedo and help in lowering the temperature in and around Bloomington. With increasing innovation, it is understood that if there is another technology that would increase the surface albedo of a building roof, it should also be accepted.
SECTION 2. The community of Bloomington will aim to reduce net emissions by 28% by 2025 (calculated from extrapolated data to represent emissions during 2005), as called for by the Paris Climate Accord, and 80% by 2050.
SECTION 3. The community of Bloomington will aim to cut by 15% the use of natural gas for space heating by the year 2025, either through space heating via renewable energy sources or by making efficiency improvements. In addition to this, the City of Bloomington will also increase the percentage of its energy that is renewable for the next ten calendar years by an average margin equal to or greater than 0.5% per year.
SECTION 4. As city park, facility, and trail drinking fountains are retired, the City of Bloomington will replace them with stations that include water bottle fillers. The City of Bloomington will consider non-freeze, refillable water bottle stations in future projects. In addition, the City of Bloomington will work with and encourage entities, such as the Monroe County Public Library and the Bloomington Public Transportation Corporation, to provide public water bottle refilling stations to the public. This would decrease in CO2 emissions by abstaining from the consumption of excess single-use plastics and unnecessary transport of water.
SECTION 5. By 2030 (contingent on funding), the City of Bloomington will provide increased walking and biking accessibility within the city limits, particularly to all public schools, in order to reduce the number of automobiles used daily by high school students and parents. The city could begin this process by adding trails off of the B-line that allow for safe and efficient travel and by installing more multi-use pathways, protected bike lanes, or other high-comfort bicycle infrastructure. The city will strive to achieve platinum bike certification standards awarded by the League of American Bicyclists.
SECTION 6. The City of Bloomington will seek to plant trees of equal diameter breast height for every tree that is removed from city-owned property, in order to remove carbon from the air and create a better, safer community. During this replacement process, the City of Bloomington will put an emphasis on biodiversity and using native Indiana plants and trees, giving preference to native species with a higher rate of carbon sequestration. In addition to this, the City of Bloomington will also work with local scientists, researchers, and community members to find new and innovative methods of carbon sequestration and reduction of heat island effect.
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Works Cited
City of Bloomington Department of Economic and Sustainable Development 2006. “Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory” City of Bloomington, Indiana 401 N. Morton Street, PO Box 100
Bloomington Green House Gas Inventory 2016
City of Bloomington Environment Commission. 2001 “Bloomington Environmental Quality Indicators” City of Bloomington, Indiana 401 N. Morton Street, PO Box 100
U.S Global Change Research Program 2014 “Water Supply” National Climate Assessment. U.S. Global Change Research Program 1800 G Street, NW, Suite 9100, Washington, D.C. 20006 USA
https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/report-findings/water-supply#statement-16597
United Nations. “The Paris Agreement.” UNFCCC, 2015, unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement.
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Primary Authors
Bloomington High School North
Jerrett Alexander, Caroline Cherry
Bloomington High School South
Maddie Clemmer, Veera Shah
Secondary Authors
Bloomington High School North
Sydney Craig, Ollie McDermott-Sipe
Sydney Piercy, Frances Sheets
Bloomington High School South
Peter Grumbling
Advisor
Teddie Phillipson-Mower
Contributors
Bloomington High School North
Ruth Alber
Luke Arthur
Isabella Balle-Voyles
Emma Barber
Katie Carver
Mac Chappell
Minjae Chung
Dylan Deckard
Kathryn Dunigan
Omar Elhanafy
Jake Feigenbaum
Ben Freel
Riley Gallagher
Chloe Gilreath
Claudia Gonzalez-Diaz
Brandon Hunt
Madeline Knapp
Owen Lauer
Audrey Lee
Kenzie Lemonis
Ellie Lloyd
Pepper Manning
Tessa McAfee
Aine McConnaughy-Shady
Grace McGlothlin
Mikayla Nagl
Delfina Ogando Yomha
Sam Orbaugh
Emma Ostlund
Seong Park
Annery Patel
Krishna Patel
Lilli Pfeiffer
Jacob Posson
Abby Presson-Wallace
Emma Rodes
Grace Saccone
Eliana Silberstein
Deniz Tezer
Braden Urbanski
Sara Valaie
Bloomington High School South
Michael Battista
Zoey Benton
Roma Bewley
Marielle Bradley
Faye Bryan
Christopher Cole
Trevor Cutshall
Samantha Dennis
Sean Egyhazi
Isabel Fernandez
Salvatore Filippelli
John Foster
Erin Fulford
Connor Goldspiel
William Hays
Olivia Hurley
Thomas Joyce
Claire Landgraf
Jacob Leslie
Jacob Lewis
Caleb Miller
Bryce Mitsdarffer
Aaron Nunes
Charizma Orndorff
Kellie Parks
Haley Paulin
Daylen Ramusack
Augustine Segyde
Matthew Shishman
Yefry Taake
Erica Tate
Elizabeth Trueblood
Jack Turnbull
Brittany Underwood
Kamila White Alomar
Andrew Whittington
The Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship
Lily MacNeil-Kirscher
Sammy Ireland
Jillian Barnes
Morgan Knapp-Coronel
Cass Mendes
Katcha Papesh
Lucas York