City of Binghamton certified as a climate smart community - WBNG
City of Binghamton certified as a climate smart community
City of Binghamton (WBNG) - This month, New York State announced its latest round of communities to get certified through the Climate Smart Communities Program.
Silver is the highest certification possible, which is followed by bronze. The City of Binghamton received a bronze rating, which was the only one to do so in Broome County. For the Southern Tier, the City of Binghamton was one of three to get a certification.
To get one of these certifications, local governments accumulate points for planning and implementing actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change.
Mayor Jared Kraham met with WBNG along Baltimore Avenue to highlight some of the efforts that led to this bronze title.
”Over the course of many years, the city has been getting foreclosed properties or otherwise vacant and abandoned properties here on Baltimore Avenue and on the city’s South Side as well as Duke Street,” said Mayor Kraham. “Demolishing those properties and creating ‘No Mow Zones’ or sort of return to green areas. This provides areas when the Susquehanna River floods, that it can flood without damaging any property.”
According to Mayor Kraham, another focus for the city has been the conversion of electricity at City Hall and all municipal services to 100 percent renewable.
A certification is valid for a total of five years. According to a press release from the governor’s office, 137 locations in the state have been recognized through the Climate Smart Communities Program.
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Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”