Article written by Zachary Oren Smith of The Iowa City Press-Citizen.

See the full article from Press-Citizen here. 

• Iowa City Council declared a Climate Crisis Tuesday, August 6.
• Council updated CO2 reduction goals to 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 and net zero by 2050.
• In 100 days, the city is tasked with a report highlighting how the city can reach these goals.

Iowa City Mayor Jim Throgmorton speaks prior to public comment on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen)

Iowa City Council declared a Climate Crisis Tuesday Night. The move by council is the culmination of a conversation begun by Iowa City high school student Massimo Paciotto-Biggers and his group the Climate Strikers who pushed council to amend the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan passed not even a year ago. 

"Maybe we will discover or a future council discovers that it is not politically feasible, the people won't stand for it. I have no idea really but we need to be doing what we can," Mayor Jim Throgmorton said. 

As part of their declaration, the city adjusted the carbon emission goals bringing them in line with to rates that will limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The original plan called for the city to reduce carbon dioxide emission by 26% to 28% by 2025 and by 80% by 2050. The new reduction goals are 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. 

"I totally believe those who've spoken that the real work comes after this. It's not just in doing things like this that bring people's attention to it," Councilor Susan Mims said. "People maybe who haven't thought a lot about it or paid much attention to it. Now it's all the things that need to come after that."

Massimo Paciotto-Biggers, 13, sits for a photo during a weekly walkout demanding solar panels on school buildings, Friday, April 5, 2019, outside the Iowa City Community School District offices along North Dodge Street in Iowa City, Iowa. Paciotto-Biggers sat by himself that afternoon. (Photo: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen)

In 100 days, the city manager's office is to develop a report recommending ways to accelerate Iowa City's climate actions to meet the new targets.

"In addition to the regulatory hurdles we have, we can also offer a lot of incentives so I think staff in the coming months and years is going to be coming up with a lot of creative incentives hopefully to make the feasible economically for developers as well," Councilor Rockne Cole said.

Councilors Pauline Taylor, Mazahir Salih and John Thomas said if the city is to reach these reduction goals, it will take educating the populace on how to reduce the community's emissions.

Throgmorton pointed out that MidAmerican Energy and the University of Iowa make up 57% of the city's carbon emissions. Both institutions have made public declarations about reducing their carbon emissions. The resolution directs the city to coordinate efforts with "local municipalities, energy utilities (and) education institutions" to rapidly reduce emissions. 

Tuesday night, the council was supposed to discuss whether they would support the Climate Action Advisory Board's call for City Council to reappoint the Climate Action Commission — the group that helped fashion the Climate Action Plan. The work session item was punted to the next council meeting on August 20.