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Legislation
Ordinance
City Hall
3500 Pan American
Drive
Miami, FL 33133
www.miamigov.com
File Number: 07-00488
Final Action Date:
AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO CREATE A NEW
DEPARTMENT TITLED MIAMI OFFICE OF SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVES
("MSI")THAT WILL FOCUS ON COORDINATING CITY DEPARTMENTS,
FACILITATING COMMUNICATION WITH ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTS, AND
ASSURING THAT THE CITY OF MIAMI IS WORKING TOWARD BECOMING A
MODEL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL BEST PRACTICES. SAID OFFICE WILL
ADDRESS, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, THE GUIDELINES OF THE MIAMI
CLIMATE PROTECTION AGREEMENT. THE CITY MANAGER WILL ESTABLISH
THE MIAMI OFFICE OF THE ENVIRONMENT WITHIN THE NEXT 30 DAYS.
WHEREAS, during the past five (5) years, the City of Miami has launched a comprehensive and
aggressive environmental program to clean our streets, our waterways, brown fields, storm drains, and
improve our air and water quality, thus reversing decades of environmental neglect; and,
WHEREAS, in furtherance of this environmental program, Mayor Manuel A. Diaz ("Mayor") was one of ,
the first United States Mayors to sign the Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement (the "Agreement")
committing cities to take actions to reduce global warming pollution by striving to meet or exceed
Kyoto Protocol targets; and,
WHEREAS, the Mayor's commitment to join other mayors throughout the country (today 400 Mayors
representing over 58 million people have signed the Agreement) brought the issue of environmental
policy to the forefront of South Florida priorities; and,
WHEREAS, during the Mayor's 2006 State of the City Address, core steps for environmental policy
were etched out, increasing the level of focus on innovation, and developing a strong foundation for
environmentalism; and,
WHEREAS, the Inter -Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the international communities
most respected assemblage of scientists, has found that climate disruption is a reality and that human
activities are largely responsible for increasing concentration of global warming pollution; and
WHEREAS, recent, well -documented impacts of climate disruption include average global sea level
increases of four to eight inches during the 20th century; a 40 percent decline in Artic sea -ice
thickness; and nine of the ten hottest years are on record occurring in the past decade; and
WHEREAS, climate disruption of the magnitude now predicted by the scientific community will cause
extremely costly disruptions of human and natural systems throughout the world including; increased
risk of floods or droughts; sea level rises that interact with coastal storms to erode beaches, inundate
land, and damage structures; more frequent and extreme heat waves; and more often greater
concentrations of smog; and
WHEREAS, on February 16, 2005, the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to address climate
disruption, went into effect in the 141 countries that have ratified it to date; 38 of those countries are
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File Number: 07-00488
now legally required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5.2 percent below the1990
levels by 2012; and
WHEREAS, the United States of America, with less than 5% of the world=s population, is responsible
for producing approximately 25% of the worlds global warming pollutants; and
WHEREAS, the Kyoto Protocol emissions reduction target for the U.S. would have been 7 percent
below the1990 levels by 2012; and
WHEREAS, many leading US companies that have adopted greenhouse gas reduction programs to
demonstrate corporate responsibility have also publicly expressed preference for the US to adopt
precise and mandatory emissions targets and timetables as a means by which to remain competitive
in the international marketplace, to mitigate financial risk and to promote sound investment decisions;
and
WHEREAS, state and local governments throughout the United States are adopting emission
reduction targets and programs and that this leadership is bipartisan, coming from Republican and
Democratic governors and mayors alike; and
WHEREAS, many cities throughout the nation, both large and small, are reducing global warming
pollutants through programs that provide economic and quality of life benefits such as reduced energy
bills, green space preservation, air quality improvements, reduced traffic congestion, improved
transportation choices, and economic development and job creation through energy conservation and
new energy technologies; and
WHEREAS, mayors from around the nation have signed the U.S. Conference of Mayor's Climate
Protection Agreement including the Mayor of the City of Miami; and
WHEREAS, the MSI would assure that all aspects of the Miami Climate Protection Agreement are
addressed and appropriately prioritized.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA:
Section 1. The City Manager will create the Miami Office of Sustainable Initiatives which will focus on
coordinating City Departments, facilitating communication with environmental experts, and assuring
that the City of Miami is working toward becoming a model for environmental best practices.
Section 2. Said Office will address, but not be limited to, the guidelines of the Miami Climate
Protection Agreement.
Section 3. The City Manager will establish the Miami Office of Sustainable Initiatives within the next 30
days.
Section 4. This Ordinance shall become effective immediately upon its adoption and signature of the
Mayor.{1}
Footnotes:
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File Number: 07-00488
{1} This Ordinance shall become effective as specified herein unless vetoed by the Mayor within ten
days from the date it was passed and adopted. If the Mayor vetoes this Ordinance, it shall become
effective immediately upon override of the veto by the City Commission or upon the effective date
stated herein, whichever is later.
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