The undersigned residents of McLennan County strongly request that the City of Waco, Texas creates the position of Assistant City Manager for Sustainability & Climate.  This position is required to ensure the City completes the massive challenge of reaching “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050, as mandated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).  To reach this goal, Waco will need to be totally powered by clean, renewable energy, transition to battery electric or fuel cell vehicles, perform heating and cooling with electricity only,  power industry with clean energy, and develop land use techniques that maximize carbon sinks.

   Currently the City has no individuals or boards with the required knowledge to guide the mandatory transition to a green economy.  Therefore, we strongly request that the City creates a position for an Assistant City Manager for Sustainability & Climate, who will be highly knowledgeable  of climate science, of the urgency of slashing greenhouse gas emissions, of the myriad solutions to carry out this transition, and of the many economic and health benefits of the transition.  In addition, interested Waco citizens should be consulted to insure the appropriate person fills this Assistant City Manager role. 

     Many cities in Texas have employed individuals to fill such a position for years.  For example, the City of Dallas has an Office of Sustainability dedicated to “reducing our environmental footprint.”  The City of Austin employs a Chief Sustainability Officer and a Climate Program Manager.  And the City of Carlsbad, California, smaller than Waco at population 115,877, utilizes an Office of Environmental Management.

     In conclusion, we call on the Waco City Council to address the 21st century climate crisis by creating the position of Assistant City Manager for Sustainability & Climate and fill the position with a highly qualified person as soon as possible. This will enable the City to quickly transition to clean, renewable energy, help avoid catastrophic climate impacts, and realize the secondary economic and health benefits of a green economy.