Minneapolis Declares Climate Emergency

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Minneapolis declared a climate emergency Friday, demanding a mobilization to address the causes and consequences of climate change. The declaration recognizes climate change as already affecting people's lives, health, access to food and shelter with extreme weather and other destructive effects in Minnesota and worldwide.

"Climate change is impacting everything from our ability to put food on the table to what Minneapolis residents pay for infrastructure repairs," said Mayor Jacob Frey. "By declaring a climate emergency, our city officially recognizes the severity of the climate crisis and challenges us as policymakers to take stronger climate action."

With this declaration, the city commits to establishing a "social cost of carbon:" a scientific, monetary measurement of greenhouse gas emissions' damages to human health, food production, homes, businesses, and energy costs. The city will also establish a Sustainable Building Policy to ensure buildings constructed with help from the city are as energy efficient as possible.

This announcement comes weeks after 11,000 scientists supported labeling climate change as an emergency.

Minneapolis joins the U.S. House of Representatives, the Minnesota Climate Strike, Sierra Club Northstar Chapter and iMatter in its climate emergency declaration.