By Mariella Puerto, Co-Director of Climate, Barr Foundation
Mariella Puerto, co-director of Climate at the Barr Foundation and co-chair of the Funders’ Network’s GREEN! working group, recently wrote a post for the foundation’s blog . The piece was timed to coincide with the release of The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) rankings of 75 large US cities for their work on energy efficiency, clean energy, and reducing emissions.
“New scorecard celebrates U.S. cities leading on clean energy. Yet, even leaders must do more to access the full economic opportunities and to address our climate emergency.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recently released its newest ranking of 75 large US cities for their work on energy efficiency, clean energy, and reducing emissions. In this fourth edition of the City Clean Energy Scorecard, Boston retained its #1 ranking, followed closely by San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Washington. Given impressive strides and strong momentum, Cincinnati, Hartford, and Providence gained special notice as “cities to watch.”
It is encouraging to see so many cities engaged in this critical work, and even competing to outdo one another. As ACEEE stressed, however, all cities “have considerable room for improvement, even those ranked in the top tier.” This is no time to be complacent. The harmful effects of climate change are accelerating and growing more severe every year. As United Nations secretary general António Guterres pointed out in his March 2019 Op-Ed in the Guardian, “climate delay is almost as dangerous as climate denial.” If we fail to move quickly and boldly enough, we will be too late to make a difference. We also risk missing out on a massive opportunity to create good-paying jobs and spur just and inclusive economic development. Although the United States is among leading nations in renewable energy growth, other countries started sooner, are investing more, and are moving faster than we are. We can still catch up, compete, and even lead. Yet, without greater ambition and more visionary policies, we risk being merely bit players in the world’s next major energy economy.”
Read the full piece in here.
About the Author
Mariella Puerto is a co-director for Climate, managing Barr’s grantmaking and other initiatives that catalyze the transition to a clean-energy economy. This includes promoting policies and practices that accelerate the adoption of energy efficiency and renewable power sources in the New England region and connecting to similar efforts nationally. She serves on the board of the Environmental Grantmakers Association and as co-chair of the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities’ GREEN! Working Group.