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L.A. and San Francisco vie for title of 'greenest city'


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Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has a plan to slash his city's planet-warming greenhouse gases to 35% below the 1990 level by 2030, and make L.A. the "cleanest and greenest city in the country."

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has a blueprint to cut his city's greenhouse gases to 20% below the 1990.

Today, the L.A. City Council will hold a public hearing and vote on Villaraigosa’s proposal to make private developers meet nationally-developed green building standards. Next month, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will act on Newsom’s proposed building ordinance.

Which is stricter? San Francisco's, by a long shot.

Which will remove more carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere? Los Angeles' -- but only because it's a bigger city, with a population approaching 4 million; San Francisco's population is under 800,000.

By and large, city governments can't control gas-guzzling SUVs, devastated forests and big industrial pollution, all of which are major causes of global warming. On the other hand, the built environment is their bailiwick. Buildings account for an estimated 43% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., compared with 32% from transportation and 25% from industry level by 2012, creating "the greenest large city in the United States of America."
tingaling

22 responses // L.A. and San Francisco vie for title of 'greenest city'

  • They should settle the matter with a ground war.
    No vehicles.
    Just guns.
    Or perhaps just bows, arrows, and lawn mower blades.
    Whatever they do, it can only be decided with blood.
    Swimming pools of it.
    Humdrum
  • great imagery, humdrum.
    stephenthomson
  • No really, if this becomes competitive, like a matter of pride, I can actually see the average person getting into it, right? It's a contest, and we all know how much people like to win contests...
    Kati_kat
  • LA and SF really, really need this! Per person, Californians use more oil than any other people on earth, next to only the United States as a whole. Look it up, the statistics are shocking. I see a bit of a contradiction that California is such a "green" state, but using a staggering amount of oil (thats Per-Person!)
    nolanpro
  • What a bunch of verbal smog (or is that "smug"?) coming from these politicos. If there's one thing Californians love more than declaring their own superiority, it's engaging in the timeless NorCal vs SoCal debate.

    It's not far-fetched to imagine that 20 years from now NorCal and SoCal will be engaged in a bloody civil war over access to drinking water - then this debate will really have some meaning.

    Full disclosure... I come from the middle of California, where the farmers hate both SF and LA for stealing their local water supply already.
    digitrash
  • This is a great idea - getting cities to compete for being the greenest. I love it! Buildings do have a lot to do with carbon dioxide emissions because of the energy they use - forcing us to build new coal fire plants. Solar and wind should be a substantial part of every city's energy mix. The second factor is traffic congestion. A lot of gas is wasted just sitting in traffic while sending more carbon dioxide into the air. Public transit is the way to go! When cities control for those two factors: energy use & smog, their impact on reducing global warming will be huge.

    While cities can't solve every global warming problem, there is still a lot they can do.
    phoenix_fire999
  • As for gas guzzling SUV's, there is currently a proposal in CA that will make the drivers of the SUV's pay more for their vehicle registration while those who drive hybrids and compact cars, pay less. I think it's the fairest way to go as far as taxes. Those who pollute more - pay more.
    phoenix_fire999
  • ''Air quality rules in the Los Angeles region have had a role in raising the cost of power. Plants here are required to install costly pollution controls or to buy emissions credits''. But If L.A. is the greenest city in America, I'll live on green beans for a month!
    Mobius2012
  • watch this comment being used here and here
    the LA smog does occasionally take on a greenish hue...
    jogglef
  • who cares about SF?

    OH! that's right, you guys!!!

    lol jk :P
    jade_azul16
  • they should also compete for 'most cost-effective city'! sheesh.
    pressrecord
  • a little competition is always good but regardless, both of these cities need to just float away
    diode
  • watch this comment being used here, here, here, here and here
    For LA to become green they'll have to bulldoze half the city, which in fact, I'm perfectly fine with.
    BetterWatching
  • http://youtube.com/watch?v=3aifeXlnoqY
    The premise for comparison appears off to me here because of the scale.

    For instance--Half of a "MILLION BILLION" {LA} is still more than a quarter of a quarter. Essentially, LA is still going to be filthier--I just watched Chinatown for the first time this weekend---what'd they say at the end? "Forget it, its chinatown?">...
    dbeckmann
  • watch this comment being used here
    At least we're beginning to make an effort to fight global warming. To try and cut emissions by 1% is better than 0%. I hope that .L.A follows through with it's claims, and that the rest of the world follows in it's green footsteps.
    Mobius2012
  • Why does everyone drive their cars to get around LA? There's a severe lack of accessible public transportation. This fact alone should put them out of the running for any green trophy.
    pstoddard
  • I LOVE MY SAN FRANCISCO.

    I DO NOT LOVE MY SAN FRANCISCO RENT.

    BUT WHAT DO I CARE, I MAKE NEARLY SIX FIGURES.
    brokenladder
  • Pardon, if I am sensing some "heavy hypocrisy" here. Nothing personally related to your press release work "Tingaling" that is very good and pristine but with Mayor Gavin Newsom's attempt to place himself on the Media as an "Environmentalist" when in reality his Administration; after inheriting our Public Transportation Acoustic Mess from Mayor Willie Brown's Administration; did not act to this day to ethically abate or stop it even after he was warned on "SFGTV;" (San Francisco Government Television); to do so at the City Board of Supervisors Transportation Commission in 2003.

    Mayor Newsom, I am talking to You! You can not be a "fake" trying to take unfair advantage of San Franciscans and the United States population by denying the acoustic environmental issues of your Government Transportation Administration.

    Sir, This is 2008! Should I do the Math for You? The only position You Are getting now is to be the Head of an "Acoustic Institutional Group of Psychopaths," acting on your Executive Office under your approval since 2001! Do you want me to do the Math on this one also?

    Sir, How many Years does it takes for a Mayor or his Administration to fix the acoustic mistakes of our San Francisco Public Transportation?

    I'll certainly appreciate your answer and action on these acoustic issues.

    Please! No bypassing or circumventing the rights of inhabitants at this time around Sir!
    stopnoise
  • NEWSOM ALSO IS A HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER, WHICH MEANS YOU AUTOMATICALLY KNOW HE'S A PATHETIC STATIST SHILL.
    brokenladder
  • Mayor Newsom will only play the Media when it is Political and Cosmetic good for him so He can escalate that "political ladder." But he will not do it under my watch. The whole United States needs to know Who and His Transportation Administration really is! ...And I can prove that. I have lots of footage of our Public Transportation, Commerce and Construction doing all kinds of acoustic abuses and human rights violation in the City of San Francisco. He is not going to bypass me! In my views He will escalate that political ladder under my dead body. His ethical social and mental condition it is on check, read alert since 2001. Let us see what develops from this! I am dead serious with this acoustic issue and I had enough of this already! Time is up! Let us laid down the "masks" on the table.
    stopnoise
  • A competition! YES. I'm a capitalist so competition is what its all about! I hate LA! What douches. We better beat them. My mind hasn't made any change. I still don't give a conscious shit about my impact or even believe I have one, but I GOTTA WIN.

    Whatever though, it's the ends not the means, right?

    It's a nice thing, don't get me wrong. I just don't think it's going to do much. People just have to take INDIVIDUAL responsibility and must have a respect for the Earth and life what that means.

    Our motivation shouldn't be competition, because then the other motives get muddled.
    ILiveonaClock
  • Good and well spoken "ILOAC!"
    stopnoise

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