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Please see EPA's Climate Change site for current information on climate change and global warming. EPA no longer updates EPA's Global Warming Site, but is maintaining this archive for historical purposes. Thank you for visiting the archive of EPA's Global Warming Site.
Local
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Cities and towns across the U.S. are on the front lines of climate change and feel the effects of changes such as in precipitation, temperature, sea-level rise, and air quality. Cities and towns are also in the position to take a variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy actions that can have multiple benefits including saving money, creating jobs, promoting sustainable growth, and reducing criteria pollutants.
"Smart Savings: Climate Solutions for Cities" identifies twenty actions that local officials can take to save money, save energy, clean the air, reduce congestion, curb sprawl, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The actions range from building improvements to transportation, waste management and urban design. While the list of actions is not comprehensive, it provides good examples of actions that cities in the U.S. have voluntarily taken and that make a contribution to improving our environment.
See EPA's State and Local Climate Change Outreach Kit, for additional material. It provides a one-stop source for the outreach material that state and local leaders need to inform the public about global warming. The kit focuses on voluntary greenhouse gas reduction strategies that help states and communities save money, improve air quality, and lower risks to human health.
EPA's Heat Island Reduction Initiative provides communities with information resources and technical assistance to address the impacts of increasing urban temperatures, which can be up to 10 degrees F hotter than rural surroundings. Not to be confused with global warming, the urban heat island effect results from a high concentration of construction materials that absorb, rather than reflect, the sun's heat. By planting trees, and installing reflective roofs and pavements, communities can achieve the benefits of lower ambient air temperatures, improved air quality, and energy savings.
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