[00:00:17]
JUST CALLING THE ROOM TO ATTENTION.
I KNOW FOLKS ARE STILL STREAMING IN.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY HERE IN HOUSTON.
UM, IT IS WHEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, OUR PARTNERS AND OUR COMMUNITIES, ARE COMING TOGETHER TO TELL THE STORY OF HOUSTON'S JOURNEY IN RESILIENCE AND CLIMATE ACTION.
AND THIS JOURNEY GOES BACK TO THE LEADERSHIP OF MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER, WHO I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF INTRODUCING TODAY.
BUT FRANKLY, MAYOR TURNER NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION.
THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS LED HOUSTON THROUGH SEVEN FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS.
FOLLOWING HURRICANE HARVEY, MAYOR TURNER REIMAGINED A RESILIENT FUTURE FOR ALL HOUSTONIANS, A TRANSFORMATIVE VISION THAT IS NOW EMBODIED IN THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN.
THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN AND TO LEAD THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT VISION.
THIS ADMINISTRATION WAS THE VERY FIRST TO ESTABLISH A FULLY STAFFED OFFICE OF RESILIENCE, AND ALSO THE VERY FIRST TO COMBINE THAT OFFICE WITH THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY UNDER THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
A PIONEERING MOVE RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON WHEN TRADITIONALLY, IN MANY OTHER PLACES AROUND THE COUNTRY, THESE ARE OFTEN THOUGHT ABOUT AS TWO SEPARATE FUNCTIONS.
THE MAYOR'S HOLISTIC APPROACH IS FOUNDATIONAL TO THE WAY THE CITY IS ACTING ON BETTER PREPARING COMMUNITIES IN CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENCE.
WHEN HOUSTON TALKS ABOUT RESILIENCE, IT MEANS BUILDING CAPACITY IN OUR MOST VULNERABLE NEIGHBORHOODS TO RESPOND, GROW, AND THRIVE BEYOND CLIMATE SHOCKS AND STRESSES.
WHEN HOUSTON TALKS ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY, WE DO MEAN REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, BUT IT ALSO MEANS ENERGY AFFORDABILITY, ENERGY RELIABILITY, AND ENERGY ACCESS FOR EVERYDAY HOUSTONIANS.
AND WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS EVERY SINGLE DAY IN MULTIPLE PROGRAMS, PROJECTS, AND INITIATIVES THAT SPAN ACROSS ALL OF OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS.
THESE INCLUDE MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS AS YOU, YOU ALL MAY HAVE HEARD RECENTLY, SUCH AS THE INWOOD, THE INWARD DETENTION PROJECT, THE SUNNYSIDE SOLAR FARM, AND RIGHT TO THE OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM, WHEN WE ARE WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES TO INSTITUTE RESILIENCE HUBS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, TO DECARBONIZING OUR BUILDINGS, TO OUR CDP RATING OF AID THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON GOT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2021.
AND WE MAINTAINED AGAIN IN 2022 TO THE LEAD FOR CITY'S GOAL RATING THAT WE GOT LAST YEAR TO A WATER CONSERVATION, WATER WISE CAMPAIGN TO THE ONE CLEAN HOUSTON CAMPAIGN.
OUR HEAT MAPS, OUR NATURE PRESERVE ORD, UH, ORDINANCES ARE BUILDING DECARBONIZATION ORDINANCES, HOUSTON'S VISION ZERO PLAN AND INITIATIVES TO COMBAT HOMELESSNESS.
THE LIST IS EXHAUSTIVE AND GOES ON AND ON.
THIS IS A LIST OF RESILIENCE IN ACTION RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON, BUT HOUSTON'S CLIMATE LEADERSHIP, NOT JUST LOCALLY, HAS SENT A STAGE EVEN NATIONALLY AND INTO INTERNATIONALLY.
AS THE CHAIR OF CLIMATE MAYORS, MAYOR TURNER LEADS A COALITION OF OVER 470 CITIES IN PREPARING COMMUNITIES FOR LOCAL CLIMATE ACTION.
AND NOW AS CHAIR EMERITUS, THE MAYOR IS THE GLOBAL CHAIR FOR THE RESILIENT CITIES NETWORK, A NETWORK OF NEARLY A HUNDRED CITIES AND LED A DELEGATION TO COP 26 IN K GLASGOW IN 2021.
IN ALL OF THIS, MAYOR, YOU HAVE REMINDED US RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY ARE TWO FACES OF THE SAME COIN, BUT NEITHER WORKS WITHOUT EQUITY AND COMMUNITY AT THE TABLE.
THANK YOU, MAYOR, FOR YOUR VISION, YOUR LEADERSHIP, AND YOUR UNFLAGGING SUPPORT EVERY DAY THAT IS INSTRUMENTAL IN ALL OF YOUR DEPARTMENTS ADVANCING ACTION AND RESILIENCE AND, AND CLIMATE WITH PURPOSE AND EXPEDIENCY.
YOUR LEADERSHIP HAS BROUGHT MANY TO THE PA, TO THE TABLE, AND MANY MORE.
CONTINUE TO JOIN US TO ALL OF YOU HERE TODAY.
IT IS MY GREAT HONOR TO PRESENT TO YOU OUR MAYOR, MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER, AND REQUEST HIM TO SAY A FEW WORDS, OPEN UP OUR CELEBRATION, EARTH DAY, HTX, THE SPEAKER.
SEE THESE? THANK YOU, MAYOR TURNER.
LOOK, LET ME, LET ME JUST START OFF BY SAYING GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE.
LOOK, I AM, I'M DELIGHTED TO SEE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, AND THEN OF COURSE, TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ONLINE.
UH, THIS IS OUR FIRST EFFORT, UM, IN FACT IN PERSON.
AND, UH, WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SOME EXCITING THREE DAYS.
[00:05:01]
I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH FOR, FOR ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON THAT HAVE REALLY JOINED IN, UH, TO PUT ON THE HOUSTON EARTH DAY HTX, UH, THIS WEEK.UH, SO LET ME WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE FIRST CITY OF HOUSTON EARTH DAY, UH, HOUSTON SPEAKER SERIES AND FESTIVAL.
UH, YOU'LL BE HEARING VERY SHORTLY FROM DR.
AND I CAN'T THANK HER ENOUGH, UH, FOR BEING HERE.
SHE'LL BE WITH US TODAY AND THEN WE'LL BE HEADING BACK.
BUT SHE HAS BEEN VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN WHAT TEXAS HAS DONE AS IT RELATES TO CLIMATE RESILIENCE, SUSTAINABILITY.
SO COME ON, GIVE HER A HOUSTON WELCOME ALREADY.
LOOK, NOT ONLY, UM, IS SHE, UM, UH, SHE HAS A STUDENTS, UH, BUT SHE HAS AN AUDIENCE EVEN OUTSIDE OF THE UNIVERSITY.
SO VERY EXCITED TO HAVE YOU AS MAYOR OF, OF THIS AMAZING CITY.
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO GREET YOU THIS MORNING AND KICK OFF THIS THREE DAY CELEBRATION OF OUR COLLECTIVE EFFORTS TO MAKE HOUSTON THE RESILIENT, SUSTAINABLE, UH, AN EQUITABLE CITY WE ALL ASPIRE TO LIVE IN.
WE ARE EXCITED TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL OF OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND I WILL TELL YOU, THEY ARE ACCOMPLISHMENTS UP ONLY TO THIS POINT IN TIME.
WE ARE NOT SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT MISSION ACCOMPLISHED OR THE JOB IS DONE, BECAUSE QUITE FRANKLY, WE STILL HAVE A LOT MORE TO DO IN FRONT OF US THAN WHAT WE HAVE DONE BEHIND US, UH, TO TALK ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES BROUGHT FORTH BY THE ENERGY TRANSITION AND THE GROWTH OF GREEN JOBS, AS WELL AS THE CHALLENGES WE CONTINUE TO FACE TOGETHER FROM CLIMATE CHANGE AND WEATHER DISASTERS TO SYSTEMIC INEQUITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICES.
TODAY AND TOMORROW AT THE SPEAKER SERIES, YOU WILL HEAR FROM A RANGE OF EXPERTS, CITY STAFF, INDUSTRY LEADERS, ACADEMICS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS ABOUT ALL OF THE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES THAT WE ARE DRIVING IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR MANY PARTNERS.
AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PARTNERS, AND I WANT TO THANK A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY GROUPS, UM, ORGANIZATIONS, UH, WHO REALLY HELP TO DRIVE WHAT WE ARE DOING RIGHT NOW.
UH, AND I DON'T TAKE, UM, MUCH CREDIT FOR THAT BECAUSE I WILL TELL YOU THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLK WHO ARE OUT THERE TAKING THE LEAD WAY BEFORE HURRICANE HARVEY.
HURRICANE HARVEY KIND OF JUST GALVANIZED A LOT AND, AND MADE US ALL REALIZE THAT WE NEEDED TO DO A HECK OF A LOT MORE.
AND SO OVER THE NEXT TWO TO THREE DAYS, WE'LL TALK ABOUT TRANSIT, EVS, MICROGRIDS, SOLAR ENERGY, CARBON CAPTURE, UTILIZATION AND STORAGE, HYDROGEN AND SO MUCH MORE.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN OUR BUILDINGS AND WATER CONSERVATION, FLOOD MITIGATION AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT PARKS AND WHAT WE ARE.
UH, BETH WHITE OVER THE HOUSTON PARKS BOARD IS HERE, SO WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT EQUITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IJUST AND, UH, INJUSTICES.
AND I WILL TELL YOU, UH, WE COULD TALK ABOUT RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY, BUT IF WE DON'T TALK ABOUT EQUITY, WE ARE MISSING THE MARK.
AND ON WEDNESDAY, UH, AND I'M PRAYING FOR SOME GOOD WEATHER, UM, THE FESTIVAL WILL SHOWCASE MORE OF THE CITY'S PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS AND ALLOW YOU TO INTERACT WITH STAFF, LEARN ABOUT ALL OF THEIR HARD WORK.
AND LET TELL YOU, UH, ALL OF, UH, THE CITY'S 23 DEPARTMENTS ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT WEDNESDAY THEY'VE BEEN WORKING ON THESE EXHIBITS, UM, DISPLAYS.
AND SO, UM, WELL, LEMME JUST SAY RAIN OR SHINE, UH, YOU KNOW, PLEASE COME OUT OKAY AND SPREAD THE WORD.
AND THEN OF COURSE THERE WILL BE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF EVERYONE FROM SCHOOL CHILDREN AND STUDENTS TO PROFESSIONALS.
LASTLY, UH, WELL, LET ME WELCOME EVERYONE AGAIN.
UH, AND NOW LET ME TURN IT OVER TO DR.
HAYHOE, THE ACCLAIMED CLIMATE SCIENCES AND DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR AT THE TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY.
HAYHOE IS AN ARDENT ADVOCATE FOR CLIMATE POLICY IN TEXAS AND AROUND THE WORLD.
SHE IS ALSO A LONGTIME FRIEND AND PARTNER OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND AS SHE LED OUR FIRST VERY FIRST CLIMATE IMPACTS ASSESSMENT WORK.
SO, UH, LEMME TURN IT OVER TO YOU, DR.
[00:10:01]
MUCH.AND IT IS SUCH A PLEASURE TO BE HERE.
CLIMATE ACTION IN HOUSTON IS SO MEANINGFUL, AND I FEEL LIKE YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND HERE THAT A CLIMATE SOLUTION ALSO HAS TO BE AN EQUITY SOLUTION.
IT HAS TO BE A HEALTH SOLUTION.
IT HAS TO BE AN EDUCATION SOLUTION.
IT HAS TO BE A PEOPLE SOLUTION.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT ALL OF THE DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS YOU HAVE ARE.
SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO DIGGING INTO THOSE TODAY.
WELL, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
AND LOOKING, AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT HERE, I'M EXCITED BY SEEING ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE.
IF YOU'RE ONLINE, LOOK, YOU JUST NEED TO HANG UP AND COME ON DOWNTOWN, UH, TO THE JULIE IEN, UH, LIBRARY.
BUT NO, AND, AND LOOK, AND THANK YOU BECAUSE, UH, AT THE, WITH THE US CLIMATE MAYORS AND, AND THE GLOBAL RESILIENT CITIES, I HAVE TALKED ABOUT YOUR WORK AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND HOW HELPFUL YOU HAVE BEEN TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO THANK YOU FOR JUST BEING AN AUDIENCE SUPPORTER OF THIS CITY.
WELL, SO AS YOU KNOW, I'M A CLIMATE SCIENTIST, AND THAT MEANS I SPEND MOST OF MY TIME STUDYING THE BAD NEWS.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING, IT'S, IT'S REAL.
THIS IS A CRISIS THAT WE'RE IN.
SO FROM POLLUTION ALONE, WE KNOW THAT 10 MILLION PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD DIE PREMATURELY JUST FROM BREATHING IN THE POLLUTION FROM BURNING FOSSIL FUELS.
BUT THEN WE ALSO KNOW THAT BURNING FOSSIL FUELS PRODUCES HEAT TRAPPING GASES THAT ARE BUILDING UP IN THE ATMOSPHERE, WRAPPING AN EXTRA BLANKET AROUND OUR PLANET, CAUSING IT TO WARM.
AND THE BIGGEST WAY THAT THAT'S AFFECTING US IS NOT THROUGH PERSONALLY, NOT THROUGH CHANGES IN GLOBAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE, NOT THROUGH GLOBAL WARMING, BUT THROUGH WHAT I CALL GLOBAL WEIRDING.
IN OTHER WORDS, OUR WEATHER IS GETTING WEIRDER AND NOWHERE IS THAT MORE EVIDENT THAN TEXAS.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE STATE OF TEXAS, WE GET MORE BILLION DOLLAR WEATHER AND CLIMATE DISASTERS THAN ANY OTHER STATE.
WE GET THE FLOODS, THE HURRICANES, THE DROUGHTS, THE WILD FLYERS, THE HEAT WAVES, THE ICE STORMS, WE GET IT ALL.
BUT WHAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS DOING IS IT'S LOADING OUR WEATHER DICE AGAINST US.
SO WHEREVER WE LIVE, IT'S AS IF WE HAVE A PAIR OF DICE AND WE ALWAYS HAVE A CHANCE OF ROLLING A DOUBLE SIX, A STORM, A HEAT WAVE, A FLOOD.
IF WE LIVE IN TEXAS, WE ALREADY HAVE THREE SIXES ON OUR DICE.
BUT NOW THANKS TO GLOBAL WARMING, WE'VE GOT FOUR SIXES AND EVEN A SEVEN OR TWO.
AND THEN PEOPLE ARE SAYING, WE JUST HAD, YOU KNOW, IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, THERE WERE THREE 500 YEAR FLOOD EVENTS IN HOUSTON.
AND PEOPLE ARE SAYING, HOW CAN YOU HAVE THREE 500 YEAR FLOOD EVENTS IN THREE YEARS? THE ANSWER IS THEY'RE NOT 500 YEAR FLOOD EVENTS ANYMORE.
SO WE SEE THAT HURRICANES ARE GETTING STRONGER AND INTENSIFYING FASTER.
WE SEE THAT HEAVY RAINS EVEN NOT FROM HURRICANES ARE GETTING MORE FREQUENT.
RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON, WE'RE SEEING THAT EXTREME HEAT IS INCREASING, AND THE WORK WE DID FOR THE CITY SHOWED THAT THERE COULD BE WEEKS OF DAYS OVER A HUNDRED DEGREES FAHRENHEIT BY THE MIDDLE OF THE CENTURY.
IF WE DON'T TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE, THIS IS GROUND ZERO FOR CLIMATE IMPACTS.
SO THAT'S WHY WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS SO ENCOURAGING.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU'VE ACTUALLY HAD EARTH HTX, IS THAT RIGHT? THIS IS THE FIRST, UH, AND CERTAINLY IN THE FIRST SINCE, UH, SINCE I'VE BEEN MAYOR, COUNCILMAN DAVID ROBINSON.
UH, FIRST I'VE BEEN HERE AND I'VE CITED YOUR WORK BECAUSE YOU SAID IF WE DON'T MAKE SOME SIGNIFICANT CHANGES BY 2050, I THINK YOU SAID WE COULD FACE 23 DAYS WHERE THE TEMPERATURE WOULD BE OVER A HUNDRED AND THAT THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE COULD BE LIKE 106.
AND SO, UM, BASED ON THAT, AND BASED ON THE FACT THAT WE FACED THOSE STORMS THAT YOU'VE MENTIONED, UM, THAT LED TO THE CHANGES THAT WE STARTED TO MAKE, UH, IN 2020.
AND WE SEE THOSE CHANGES HAPPENING BECAUSE BACK IN THE 1980S, WERE YOU IN HOUSTON IN THE 1980S MM-HMM
BACK IN THE 1980S, THERE WAS $1 BILLION WEATHER AND CLIMATE DISASTER ON AVERAGE ANYWHERE AROUND THE US EVERY FOUR MONTHS.
AND TYPICALLY ABOUT ONE OUT OF EVERY THREE OF THOSE WOULD BE HERE IN HU IN TEXAS OR HOUSTON.
SO ONE EVERY FOUR MONTHS BACK IN THE 1980S.
NOW THERE'S ONE EVERY 2.8 WEEKS.
AND AGAIN, MOST OF THOSE ARE HAPPENING HERE.
WE HAVE, WE'VE HAD OVER $120 BILLION WEATHER AND CLIMATE DISASTERS IN TEXAS ALONE.
AND MANY OF THOSE HAVE IMPACTED HOUSTON.
SO WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN TERMS OF THIS WEEK IN TERMS OF RAISING AWARENESS OF THE RISK, BUT ALSO THE SOLUTIONS AND RAISING AWARENESS CONTINUES TO BE A TOP PRIORITY.
YOU DON'T MAKE THE CHANGES IF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY, AND PEOPLE HAVE TO HAVE THE INFORMATION AND THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'VE CITED, UM, LED US TO, FOR EXAMPLE, THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN THAT WE PUT FORTH IN FEBRUARY OF 20, A NUMBER OF A, UH, ACTION ITEMS, UH, THAT, UH, REALLY PUSHED US FORWARD.
AND THEN ON EARTH DAY, UH, IN 2020, IS
[00:15:01]
WE PRODUCED THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, THE FIRST EVER FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.AND, AND THE FOUR PILLARS THAT WERE FOUR PILLARS OF THAT, UH, ENERGY TRANSITION BEING ONE, NOW WE HAVE THE ENERGY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, PEOPLE ARE OFTEN SHOCKED THAT EVEN WE ARE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO WE ARE THE ENERGY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO LEAD IN ENERGY TRANSITION.
AND THEN THE SECOND PILLAR WAS ELECTRIFYING OUR, UH, TRANSPORTATION SECTOR, BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, UH, THAT PRODUCES MOST OF OUR GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
AND SO WE ARE MOVING FORWARD ON THAT.
AND WE PUT FORTH THIS INITIATIVE CALLED EO OF HOUSTON, WHERE THE FOCUS IS ON ELECTRIFYING, AND NOW THE GOAL IS BY 2030 FOR 50% OF NEW CELLS, UH, TO BE ELECTRIC SALES BY 2030.
QUITE FRANKLY, I THINK WE'RE GONNA TRY TO PUSH THAT EVEN MORE, UH, BASED ON WHAT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION JUST ANNOUNCED.
AND THEN THE THIRD PILLAR, THE PILLAR WAS BUILDING OPTIMIZATION.
AND ON EARTH DAY LAST YEAR, WE FILED, WE, UH, PUT FORTH OUR BUILDING DECARBONIZATION PLAN, UH, TO REDUCE OUR WATER AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION FOR OUR 550, UH, MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS, 5% EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
SO WE ARE MOVING FORWARD ON THAT.
AND THEN THE FOURTH PILLAR IS, UH, MATERIAL MANAGEMENT RECYCLING.
AND WE'RE MOVING FORWARD ON BOTH THE PRIVATE END AS WELL AS ON THE COMMERCIAL END ON RECYCLING.
BUT I AM PLEASED TO SAY THAT AS OF JULY OF 2020, ALL 550 OF OUR MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS ARE 100% POWERED BY RENEWABLES AND THIS CITY.
AND THIS CITY, THIS CITY PURCHASES MORE RENEWABLE THAN ANY OTHER CITY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
SO HERE IN TEXAS, THAT REMINDS ME OF SOMETHING THAT OFTEN SURPRISES PEOPLE TOO.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT LIVING IN TEXAS IS WHEN YOU TALK TO PEOPLE OUTSIDE TEXAS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE, THEY EXPECT THAT YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SAY ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN TEXAS.
WHEREAS WE COULD BE UP HERE ALL DAY TALKING ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN TEXAS.
SO ONE OF MY FAVORITE STATISTICS IS THE FACT THAT WE GET, I THINK WE'RE UP TO 38% OF OUR ENERGY FROM SOLAR OR OUR ELECTRICITY FROM SOLAR AND WIND ENERGY.
AND OVER THE SUMMER IT WAS SAVING US $20 MILLION A DAY.
AND, AND PEOPLE FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE OUTSIDE OF TEXAS.
UH, CAPACITY FOR WIND IS NUMBER ONE.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, IN THIS CITY, BETWEEN 2019 AND 2021, WE HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED OUR SOLAR CONSUMPTION.
THEN NOW WE ARE 16TH, UH, IN THE, IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY.
AND WE ARE WORKING WITH, UH, SO WITH SUN, SOLAR, UNITED NEIGHBORS, AND, UH, WITH, UH, THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY IN ORDER TO SPEED UP PERMITTING, WE ARE PUSHING OUR UTILITY CENTER POINT ALONE TO, TO KIND OF DO MORE, UM, TO SPEED UP THEIR, UM, THEIR WORK ON THEIR END.
UH, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THIS CITY.
I'M SO PROUD OF, YOU KNOW, WE ARE THE ENERGY CAPITAL AND LARGEST MEDICAL CENTER, BUT WE WANNA BE KNOWN FOR OUR PARKS AND GREEN SPACE MM-HMM
AND WE HAVE A LOT OF PARK ADVOCATES RIGHT HERE IN THIS ROOM.
AND SO THINGS ARE HAPPENING ON, ON THAT FRONT.
UH, PUBLIC WORKS, OUR DIRECTOR HADDOCK AND HER TEAM IS HERE ON GREEN STORM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE ARE MOVING FORWARD ON THAT FRONT.
SO WE WANNA DEBUNK THE PERCEPTION, UH, THAT IF YOU ARE LIVING IN TEXAS, SPECIFICALLY IN HOUSTON, UH, THAT WE ARE NOT, THAT WE ARE SO FOCUSED ON ENERGY MM-HMM
UH, THAT WE ARE NOT DOING A LOT OF THINGS SUBSTANTIVELY REALLY TO PROTECT OUR PLANET AND PROTECT OUR FUTURE.
AND, UM, AND THEN I'LL, I'LL CLOSE BY SAYING A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE SURPRISED MM-HMM
UH, WHEN, UH, THE MAYOR SAID OF HOUSTON, UH, WAS CHOSEN TO BE THE HEAD OF US CLIMATE MAYORS.
UM,
BUT THEY ALSO SAW WHAT WE WERE DOING IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND, UM, AND IF IT CAN BE DONE IN THIS CITY YES.
THEN IT CAN BE DONE IN ANY CITY, ANYWHERE ON THE FACE OF THIS SERVICE.
AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHY I'M HERE IN TEXAS, BECAUSE I TRULY BELIEVE THAT IF WE CAN CHANGE HOW WE LIVE, HOW WE GET ENERGY, HOW WE LIVE IN OUR CITIES, AND BUILD OUR CITIES HERE IN TEXAS, WE CAN DO IT ANYWHERE.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
AND WE ARE SHARING TO PEOPLE WE BELIEVE IN SCIENCE.
WE BELIEVE IN SCIENCE, AND THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS HAD SEVERAL WAKE UP CALLS.
I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS IN THE LEGISLATURE IN 2011 WHEN THAT WINTER STORM CAME THROUGH MM-HMM
AND QUITE FRANKLY, WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
WE DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T CLIMATIZE OR WEATHER WISE, OUR, OUR
[00:20:01]
GRID, UH, WE DIDN'T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE NEED FOR CAPACITY.WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE.
IN FACT, MOST OF THE POLICY MAKERS AT ERCOT AND THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION NEVER TALK ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE.
AND IN LARGE PART, THEY DON'T TALK ABOUT IT NOW EITHER.
AND THEN MOTHER NATURE REMINDED US IN FEBRUARY OF 21, YOU MAY NOT TALK ABOUT ME, BUT THAT'S NOT GONNA STOP ME FROM COMING.
AND SINCE YOU HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT ME AND ACTED PROACTIVELY, I'M GONNA HIT YOU EVEN HARDER THAN I HIT YOU IN 2011.
AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED IN FEBRUARY OF 21 WITH WINTER STORM URI.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR HOUSTON, FOR HOUSTON, UH, TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO LEAD THE WAY.
AND IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN YOU DEMONIZE, UH, THE SECTOR THAT HAS HELPED TO MAKE THIS CITY THE GREAT CITY THAT IT IS.
BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT YOU LOOK TO FIND WAYS THAT YOU CAN MAKE SOME SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN ADDRESSING A RE A RESILIENCE, CLIMATE CHANGE EQUITY.
AND ALL OF THEM NEED TO BE ON THE TABLE AT THE SAME TIME.
AND I'M JUST SO THANKFUL THAT WE NOW HAVE A, WE HAVE A FEDERAL PARTNER THAT HAS PROVIDED US WITH $369 BILLION UNDER THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT THAT CAN HELP US TO FUND YEAH.
GIVE IT UP TO THEM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I WANT THEM TO HEAR THE CLAP SO THAT THEY CAN SEND US MORE MONEY.
UH, SO, UH, I WANT TO THANK THEM BECAUSE, UH, YOU CAN HAVE ALL THE STRATEGIES AND THE PLANS.
BUT IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES, THEY'RE JUST PLANS ON THE, ON THE BOOK ON THE CHEF.
AND THERE'S SO MUCH THAT WE CAN DO.
SO WE STARTED OFF BY TALKING ABOUT ELECTRICITY, HOW WE LEAD THE WHOLE NATION IN CLEAN ENERGY.
BUT ONCE WE START TALKING ABOUT RESILIENCE, THAT'S WHERE WE CAN START TO DIG INTO ISSUES OF EQUITY.
ISSUES OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES ADDRESSING THE FACT THAT LOW INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS, BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE GREEN SPACES, CAN BE UP TO 15 DEGREES HOTTER DURING A HEAT WAVE THAN A HIGH INCOME NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE SAME CITY LIKE HOUSTON.
AND THE FLOOD RISK IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS IS TYPICALLY HIGHER AS WELL, BECAUSE THEY'RE IN THE FLOOD ZONES WITH LESS OF THAT GREEN SPACE.
AND SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CLIMATE SOLUTIONS, WE'RE ALSO TALKING HEALTH SOLUTIONS BECAUSE GREEN SPACES TAKE UP POLLUTION AND CLEAN UP THE AIR.
THEY TAKE UP WATER, THEY PROVIDE PLACES FOR YOU TO GO WITH YOUR FAMILY OUTSIDE, AND THEY HELP SHADE YOU WORKING WITH NATURE.
AND I HAVE TO SAY, I'M BIASED HERE BECAUSE I'M ALSO CHIEF SCIENTIST FOR THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
SO WE, WE REALLY BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF NATURE TO HELP.
AND WE KNOW THAT NATURE CAN TAKE UP, UP TO A THIRD OF THE CARBON WE PRODUCE, BUT IT CAN PROVIDE US WITH SO MANY BENEFITS.
AND YOU'RE DOING THAT RIGHT IN HERE IN HOUSTON, AREN'T YOU? WELL, UH, LOOK, THE FOCUS HAS BEEN ON PARKS AND GREEN SPACE AND, UM, WE ARE FOCUSING AND NOT JUST ON THE SIGNATURE PARKS, AND WE DO HAVE SOME BEAUTIFUL ONES, BUT IT'S ALSO THE FOCUS IS ON NAME ON LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS.
AND WE ARE, AND THE CITY IS NOT DOING IT BY YOURSELF.
I CERTAINLY WANT TO THANK THE GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP, THE HOUSTON PARKS BOARD THAT'S WORKING IN COLLABORATION IN THIS YEAR ALONE.
WE WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCING 22 LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS IN THIS YEAR ALONE.
AND I'M VERY, VERY PROUD OF THAT FACT.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ARE BUILDING HIGHER, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE ARE PUTTING IN MAJOR DETENTION BASINS IN THE INWOOD FOREST AREA.
WAS, UH, WHAT IS WAS 220 ACRE GOLF COURSE, UH, THAT THE CITY HAS ACQUIRED.
UH, WE JUST ANNOUNCED, UH, UH, LAST WEEK WITH THE GROUNDBREAKING, WHERE WE ARE TURNING THAT INTO A MAJOR DETENTION BASIN.
IT'LL HOLD MORE WATER THAN THE ASTRODOME.
BUT IT'S NOT JUST DIGGING A HOLE, IT'S ALSO CREATING A RECREATIONAL SPACE FOR PEOPLE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND SO, YES, IT'S A DETENTION BASIN, BUT IT'LL BE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO RIDE THEIR BIKES TO GO AND, AND, AND WALK, UM, TO PLAY A LOT OF GREEN SPACE IN THE AREA.
ACCENTS THAT COMMUNITY REALLY ENHANCES AND BEAUTIFIES IT.
UH, AND IT ALL, IT IS ALSO A PART OF THAT EQUITY PLAN.
THOSE ARE THE SORT OF THINGS THAT WE CAN DO IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AS WE MITIGATE THE RISK OF FLOODING, ADDRESS CLIMATE ACTION, BUT ALSO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND IMPROVE THE AIR RIGHT HERE IN OUR, IN OUR GREAT CITY.
I LOVE THE WIN WIN WIN SOLUTIONS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR SINGLE WINS.
WE NEED TO HIT AS MANY AS WE CAN.
SO A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, I WAS ASKED TO SPEAK AT THE, UM, NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF MAYORS.
AND I REMEMBER, I, I TALKED TO A GROUP OF MAYORS WHO WERE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRAT AND INDEPENDENT ABOUT CLIMATE RISKS AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND WHAT CITIES CAN DO.
[00:25:01]
AFTERWARDS, A MAYOR CAME MARCHING UP TO ME AND HE SAID, I'M A REPUBLICANIT TELLS YOU THE SAME ANSWER REGARDLESS OF HOW YOU VOTE.
AND A HURRICANE DOES NOT KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR AND SAY, EXCUSE ME, WHO'D YOU VOTE FOR? RIGHT.
MAYOR SYLVESTER, OR WHATEVER PRESIDENT BEFORE IT RIPS THE ROOF OFF YOUR HOUSE.
BUT TYPICALLY, AS A CLIMATE SCIENTIST, ESPECIALLY IN TEXAS, WHEN SOMEONE COMES UP TO YOU AND SAYS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT FOLLOWS IS NOT SO PLEASANT.
BUT WHAT THIS MAYOR SAID IS HE SAID, AND HE WAS A MAYOR FROM A SUBURB OF CHICAGO, HE SAID, I'M A REPUBLICAN AND THIS MATTERS TO EVERYONE.
WE JUST NEED SENSIBLE SOLUTIONS.
AND THAT TO ME, EMBODIES THE POWER OF A MAYOR.
MAYORS UNDERSTAND THAT PLACE MATTERS, THAT PEOPLE MATTERS AND THEY CAN GET THINGS DONE.
SO AS A MAYOR, WHAT ARE YOUR SUPERPOWERS,
WHEN YOU COMBINE THE PEOPLE WITH THE, WITH THE INSTITUTION ITSELF, UM, SIGNIFICANT THINGS CAN HAPPEN FOR MAYORS.
I MEAN, WE ARE THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND, DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE.
WE ARE THE BOATS IN THE WATER.
WE ARE THE ONES, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN A STORM HAPPENS AND PEOPLE ARE HAVING TO ABANDON THEIR HOMES, WHETHER IT'S A SINGLE FAMILY HOME OR, UH, UH, OUR APARTMENT, AND THEY FIND THEMSELVES ON THE BRIDGE TRYING TO STAY AWAY FROM THE FLOODING WATERS, UH, WE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE OUT THERE TRYING TO RESCUE THEM.
WE ARE SENDING OUT OUR RESCUE TEAMS, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, POLICE, PUBLIC WORKS, YOU NAME IT.
WHEN THERE'S A WINTER STORM URI, UH, THAT HAPPENS AND PEOPLE DON'T HAVE GENERATORS AND THEY'RE WITHOUT POWER.
AND THEN WHEN THE, THE PIPES UNTHAW AND THE WATER IS COMING THROUGH THEIR HOMES, UH, WE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE HAVING TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN, UH, TO, UH, GET THEM OUTTA HARM'S WAY TO FIND PLACES FOR THEIR, FOR THE FAMILIES AND THEIR CHILDREN.
WE ARE THE ONES, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN YOU DON'T DO THINGS, UH, PEOPLE SHOW UP NEXT DOOR ON A TUESDAY, YOU KNOW, LOOKING RIGHT AT YOU AND YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF LEAVING.
AND WE ARE THE ONES, FOR EXAMPLE, BE IN THE GROCERY STORE, UH, JUST GOING TO PICK UP SOME MILK AND SOME EGGS.
ALL OF A SUDDEN IT BECOMES A TOWN HALL MEETING ON AISLE NUMBER EIGHT.
UH, AND THEY DON'T LET YOU GO.
UM, AND THEN IF YOU, AT THEIR HOUSE, UH, WE ARE THE ONES, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN YOU'RE LIVING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THAT FOLK CAN COME AND KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR AND SAY, MAYOR, I JUST SAW THE DETAIL DROP YOU OFF, SO I KNOW YOU IN THERE, YOU KNOW,
WE HAVE TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.
AND THEN WHAT I WOULD SAY TO YOU, IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT CLIMATE MIGRATION FOR SOME FOREIGN COUNTRY, WHEN YOU HAVE THESE STORMS COMING WITH FREQUENCY, GREATER FREQUENCY, GREATER INTENSITY, AND PEOPLE ARE HAVING TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES AND FIND SOMEPLACE TO GO, UH, WE ARE THE ONES WHO ARE HAVING TO DEAL WITH THAT DOMESTIC CLIMATE MIGRATION.
SO IT'S IN, IT BEHOOVES US TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN, UH, TO CREATE RESILIENT COMMUNITIES, UH, TO MITIGATE AGAINST THE RISK OF FLOODING, UH, TO POINT OUT THE, THE DANGER OF NOT DOING THINGS AND TO SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, TO INDUSTRY AND OTHERS, YOU KNOW, LOOK, WE ARE NOT ANTI, BUT WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT IF WE DON'T WORK COLLABORATIVELY, THERE ARE NO WINNERS HERE.
YOU KNOW, YOU MAY, YOU MAY PREVAIL, YOU MAY BE ON THE TOP END FOR NOW, BUT HURRICANE HARVEY REMINDED ALL OF US, INCLUDING INDUSTRY, THAT IF YOU, IF YOU'RE BUILDING OUT IN THE GULF, THIS STORM WILL SHUT YOU DOWN AND CAN HURT.
AND IF IN MANY CASES, KILL YOUR EMPLOYEES, AND IF YOU ARE LIVING IN AFFLUENT COMMUNITIES, MOTHER NATURE DOES NOT CARE.
IT'LL WIPE YOU OUT JUST LIKE IT'LL WIPE OUT PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN COMMUNITIES THAT ARE NOT NEARLY AS IN INFLUENT.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO, UH, UH, TO ADDRESS IT IN REAL TERMS AND PRODUCE RESULTS.
AND THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE ARE DEMANDING.
THE WORD THAT COMES TO ME LISTENING TO THIS IS REAL.
WHEN YOU'RE A MAYOR, YOU HAVE TO KEEP IT REAL 24 7, LIKE YOU SAID, IN THE GROCERY STORE AT HOME AND RIGHT HERE.
PEOPLE WILL FORCE YOU TO KEEP IT REAL.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, KNOW, FOR A LONG TIME, MAYORS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON WOULDN'T TALK ABOUT CLIMATE.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THIS, IT WAS NOT THE RIGHT POLITICAL THING TO DO, SO WE WOULDN'T TALK ABOUT IT.
OR IF WE TALKED ABOUT IT, WE WOULD TALK ABOUT IT AWAY FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN IN SOME, YOU KNOW, SOME ROOM AND YOU HOPED THAT YOUR CONVERSATION DIDN'T GET OUT.
[00:30:01]
UM, BUT NOW THOSE REALITIES HAVE CHANGED.MOTHER NATURE HAS FORCED US NOW TO DEAL WITH IT, UH, IN A VERY TRANSPARENT, OPEN SORT OF WAY.
AND WE, AND WE HAVE TO PRODUCE RESULTS.
AND, AND, AND THAT'S WHY, UH, PRIYA ZACHRY, HEAD OF MY MAYOR'S OFFICE OF RESILIENCE SUSTAINABILITY TALKED ABOUT WHAT I HAVE DONE.
NO, IT'S NOT ABOUT WHAT I HAVE DONE.
IT IS ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE DONE.
I'VE HAD A VERY SUPPORTIVE COUNCIL, JUST LIKE DAVID ROBINSON IS HERE RIGHT NOW AT LARGE.
I'VE HAD SOME VERY SUPPORTIVE DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS AND THEIR TEAM, UM, FROM THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO PUBLIC WORKS, YOU NAME IT.
UM, PLANNING, I CAN GO DOWN THE LIST, PARKS AND REC.
SO WE, IT'S BEEN VERY COLLECTIVE.
AND THEN WE'VE HAD A VERY ENGAGED COMMUNITY, UH, THAT, THAT HAS SAID, OKAY, DON'T FORGET ABOUT US, BECAUSE THERE ARE CERTAIN COMMUNITIES IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, IN THIS CITY, LIKE OTHER CITIES THAT ARE IN A CONSTANT STATE OF NEED AND RECOVERY.
YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU BUILD THEM UP AFTER ONE STORM HITS, HERE COMES ANOTHER, AND THEN YOU GET, YOU TRY TO STABILIZE THEM, HERE COMES THEM.
SO THEY'RE IN A CONSTANT STATE OF NEED AND RECOVERY.
AND THEN THERE'S THAT INTERSECTION, AS YOU MENTIONED, WITH HOUSING, HEALTH ECO, UH, UH, THE ECONOMY, ALL OF THOSE THINGS, UH, CREATE, UH, UH, DISPARITIES OR INEQUITIES THAT WE HAVING TO ADDRESS.
AND WAS IT HURRICANE HARVEY THAT REALLY TURNED THE TIDE IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO TALK ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE IN HOUSTON? I, AND, AND I BELIEVE THAT IT WAS, LOOK, WHEN I FIRST CAME IN, IN, IN, UH, IN 2016, IT WAS THE TAX DAY FLOOD.
UM, BUT IT KIND OF FOCUSED ON WHAT I CALL THAT NORTHEAST, NORTHWEST SORT OF AREA.
IT ISN'T ALL OVER IN 2017 WITH HURRICANE HARVEY, HURRICANE HARVEY IMPACTED THE ENTIRE CITY.
AND, AND THAT WAS A GAME CHANGER BECAUSE WE HAD DEALT WITH THE MEMORIAL FLOOD IN 2015, THE TAX DAY FLOOD IN 2016, AND THEN HERE COMES HARVEY, AND THEN HARVEY SAYS, YOU'RE GONNA FEEL THIS ONE.
YOU KNOW, HOUSTON, YOU'RE THE ENERGY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.
I'M HAPPY FOR YOU, YOU KNOW, BUT YOU GONNA FEEL THIS ONE.
AND IT SAID, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT THE LARGEST MEDICAL CENTER IN THE WORLD.
AND, AND SO YOU COULDN'T DISMISS IT WHEN 300,000 STRUCTURES WERE IMPACTED.
AND THEN JUST IN CASE WHEN 2017 PASSED AND THE ASTROS WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2017, SO JUST IN CASE YOU ALL THINK IT'S NOT REAL, THEN HERE COMES TROPICAL STORMY MELD IN IN 2019.
THEN THAT PRODUCED THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN IN FEBRUARY OF 2020.
THE EARTH DAY PLAN ON EARTH DAY OF 2020.
AND THEY SAID, JUST IN CASE YOU THINK YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH.
HERE'S WINTER STORM URI IN FEBRUARY OF 21.
SO IT'S BEEN ONE THING AFTER THE, WELL, NOT ONLY THAT, BUT IN AUGUST WHEN WE WERE KICKING OFF THE RESILIENT HOUSTON STRATEGY, AND I WAS ONE OF THE SPEAKERS, THEN IT WAS POSTPONED BECAUSE OF ANOTHER HURRICANE.
BUT IN GENERAL, HURRICANES ARE INTENSIFYING FASTER, GETTING STRONGER AND DROPPING MORE RAIN.
THAT HAS CHANGED NOW, THANKS TO ADVANCES IN WHAT'S KNOWN AS ATTRIBUTION SCIENCE, WE CAN PUT A NUMBER ON HOW MUCH WORSE CLIMATE CHANGE MADE A SPECIFIC EVENT.
SO WE KNOW THAT HURRICANES ARE A FEATURE OF LIFE IN THIS AREA.
THE GALVESTON HURRICANE BACK IN 1900 WAS STILL THE DEADLIEST HURRICANE TO DATE TO HIT US SOIL, MOSTLY BECAUSE PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW TO GET OUTTA THE WAY.
BUT HURRICANE HARVEY, THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS WERE ENORMOUS.
AND WE KNOW THAT AT LEAST 38% MORE RAIN FELL THAN IF THAT SAME HURRICANE HAD HAPPENED A HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
BUT WE ALSO CAN PUT A MAP ON HOW MUCH MORE AREA FLOODED DUE TO BOTH IMPERMEABLE SURFACES.
AND DUE TO ALL THE EXTRA RAIN DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, SHE CAN LITERALLY DRAW LINES ON A MAP SHOWING WHAT DID OR DIDN'T FLOOD BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE, SUPERSIZING THE STORM.
AND EVEN WORSE, IT'S ESTIMATED THAT THREE QUARTERS OF THE ECONOMIC DAMAGES, THE DIRECT ECONOMIC DAMAGES, I SHOULD SAY, OF HURRICANE HARVEY, WERE, BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE, SUPER PRECISE IN THE STORM.
HOW DO YOU GET FROM 40% TO THREE QUARTERS? IT'S BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MOST PLACES IN HOUSTON ARE READY FOR 10 INCHES OF RAIN.
THAT HAPPENS 20 INCHES OF RAIN.
[00:35:01]
YOU HAVE A PLAN, 30 INCHES OF RAIN GETTING DIFFICULT BY THE TIME YOU'RE UP TO 40 OR 50 INCHES OF RAIN.AND THAT'S WHERE THE BIGGEST COSTS HAPPEN.
THAT'S, AND THAT'S WHEN I LOST MY HAIR.
I WASN'T GONNA ASK
AND THE REST OF THE LONG-TERM COSTS CAN HAPPEN OVER YEARS TO DECADES AFTER THE EVENT, AFTER THE STRUCTURES THAT WERE DAMAGED DECAY, PEOPLE MOVE OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE COMMUNITIES FRAGMENT.
THE WATER SYSTEM WAS IMPACTED BY IT AND EVENTUALLY DISINTEGRATES.
SO NO WONDER IT OPENED PEOPLE'S EYES.
IT, UH, YOU COULDN'T IGNORE IT.
UH, I'LL NEVER FORGET ON THE NIGHT THAT THAT STORM CAME IN AND YOU HAD THESE THREE BANDS OF RAIN COMING IN, AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER REPORT SAYS THAT EACH ONE OF THOSE BANDS WOULD BE CARRYING LIKE 89 INCHES OF, OF RAIN.
UM, WE DECIDED TO HOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE AT TRANS STAR ON THAT SUNDAY NIGHT.
AND, UM, SO WE LEFT THE HEC CENTER, UH, TO GO OVER TO TRANS STAR, AND THERE WAS SO MUCH RAIN.
THE PRESS CONFERENCE WAS SCHEDULED TO BE ABOUT EIGHT OR 9:00 PM THERE WAS SO MUCH RAIN.
UM, WHEN WE GOT CLOSE TO TRANS STAR, WE WERE STILL ABOUT, OH, THREE OR FOUR BLOCKS AWAY.
THE VEHICLE THAT I WAS IN COULDN'T GO THROUGH.
AND LITERALLY, UH, WE HAD TO GET OUT OF THE TRUCK.
WE WERE IN THE MOST DETAIL AND WALK THE REST OF THE WAY TO TRANS STAR.
AND THEN WHEN WE CAME BACK, IT WAS EVEN MORE RAIN, AND WE HAD TO PULL UP IN THIS PARKING LOT AS FAR UP AS WE COULD BECAUSE WE COULDN'T GET BACK.
AND THEN, UH, IT WAS THE POLICE CHIEF AT THE TIME SENT A MILITARY VEHICLE TO COME AND GET ME, UH, TO TAKE ME BACK TO, UM, THE HECK CENTER, THE HOMELAND, UM, OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
THERE WAS SO MUCH, IT WAS LIKE A RIVER THAT HAD COVERED THE LANDSCAPE OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
IT, I, AND THAT, THAT IS A PICTURE I'LL, I'LL NEVER FORGET.
UM, AND SO THAT WAS A GAME CHANGER.
AND THE REALITY IS IT WASN'T ONE AND DONE.
IT COULD COME AGAIN AND AGAIN.
AND NOW IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT A HURRICANE.
I DON'T JUST FOCUS JUST ON A HURRICANE.
IF THERE'S A SYSTEM IN THE GULF MM-HMM
IN 24 HOURS, 24 OUTTA 48 HOURS, THAT SYSTEM CAN INTENSIFY THAT.
IT CAN DROP A WHOLE LOT OF WATER.
SO IT, WE WERE, WE WERE, MOTHER NATURE HAS FORCED US TO BE REALIST, TO PAY UP, PAY, UH, UH, TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE SCIENCE, AND THEN TO DO THINGS TO MITIGATE, TO MITIGATE THE RISK.
AND THEN AT THE SAME TIME, UH, TO REALLY BUILD IN RESILIENCE AND TO, UH, TRY TO ENHANCE COMMUNITIES, UH, THAT WOULD BE A PART OF THIS, UM, THESE SHOCKS AND STRESSES.
AND IN THIS CITY, WE HAVE LOST COMMUNITIES, SOME NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, BECAUSE THEY REFLECT, THEY FLOODED REPEATEDLY.
SO THAT WAS THE GENESIS OF WHAT YOU SEE TODAY.
THAT WAS THE GENESIS OF RESILIENT HOUSTON, THE GENESIS OF THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, THE GENESIS OF EARTH DAY HTX THAT WE'RE CELEBRATING THIS WEEK.
AND AT THAT TIME, THE FIRST FEW YEARS YOU FACED DUAL HEADWINDS FROM THE FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION AND FROM THE STATE.
NOW AS YOU MENTIONED, THINGS HAVE TURNED AROUND WITH THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, PROVIDING SIGNIFICANT RESOURCE, UH, SUPPORT FOR BUILDING RESILIENCE, FOR INVESTING IN GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, FOR ADDRESSING THE SOCIOECONOMIC AND RACIAL INEQUITIES AND CLIMATE IMPACTS.
BUT TO CALL A SPADE A SPADE, WE STILL HAVE SOME, UH, BILLS IN THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY A SESSION THAT ARE CONSIDERED CONTENTIOUS.
IT'S HARD TO BE A CLIMATE MAYOR IN TEXAS.
IN FACT, THERE'S A BILL THAT WILL BE VOTED ON, UH, DISCUSSED, DEBATED TOMORROW, UH, HOUSE BILL 2127, WHICH IS THE SUPER PREEMPTION BILL.
IT LITERALLY WOULD TAKE AWAY MUCH OF THE AUTHORITIES THAT CITIES HAVE IN THE STATE.
AND THERE ARE BILLS IN THE LEGISLATURE THAT WILL SAY TO CITIES, DON'T, YOU CAN'T EVEN ADDRESS, UH, RENEWABLES OR ENERGY OR MITIGATION WITHOUT OUR EXPRESS PERMISSION.
THOSE ARE HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE BILLS.
AND THEY ARE BEING DEBATED AND CONSIDERED IN THE LEGISLATURE.
[00:40:01]
I WOULD SAY TO PEOPLE HERE, AND PEOPLE ONLINE, PLEASE, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN AUSTIN RIGHT NOW.BUT HOUSE BILL 2127 IS A THREAT TO WHAT WE ARE DOING RIGHT NOW TO WHAT WE HAVE DONE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND NOT JUST THIS CITY FOR LOCAL UNITS OF GOVERNMENT.
IT IS THE SUPER PREEMPTION BILLS.
I WOULD SAY THIS IN OUR USE THIS POINT, PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THESE BIG POLLS THAT ARE BEING BUILT IN NEIGHBORHOODS.
THAT IS BECAUSE SEVERAL COUPLE OF SESSIONS AGO, THE CITY'S AUTHORITY WERE PREEMPTED.
AND SO NOW, UH, YOU HAVE UTILITIES THAT CAN SIMPLY BILL MASSIVE POLLS RIGHT IN FRONT OF PEOPLE'S HOMES.
OKAY? AND PEOPLE SAY, WELL, MAYOR, WHY ARE YOU ALLOWING THAT TO, WE HAVE BEEN PREEMPTED.
AND THE SUPER PREEMPTION BILL IS BEING DEBATED TOMORROW IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
SO WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE A FEDERAL PARTNER DO THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, THE THREE $69 BILLION, THE EMPHASIS ON LOW AND MODERATE INCOME FAMILIES PROVIDING TAX CREDITS, UH, ALLOWING PEOPLE REBATES FOR IF YOU, UH, ELECTRIC VEHICLES OR EVEN FOR USED CARS AND STUFF OF THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
UH, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THE STATE IS STILL, STILL DOESN'T GET IT, AND THEY'RE STILL NOT OPENLY TALKING ABOUT CLIMATE AND RESILIENCE AND EQUITY.
AND UNTIL THAT HAPPENS, UH, THEN WE ARE GONNA HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO WORK WITH OUR LOCAL UNITS TO HAVE SESSIONS LIKE THIS.
AND IT'S INTENDED TO BE EDUCATIONAL, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, MOTIVATIONAL.
UH, AND THEN LASTLY, WHAT I WOULD SAY, 'CAUSE I DON'T WANT, I DON'T NEVER LIKE TO END ON A, ON A NEGATIVE NOTE OR A DOWNER, BUT THINGS ARE HAPPENING.
WE ARE DOING THINGS, UH, IN A POSITIVE, PROACTIVE WAY.
DEPARTMENTS GET IT, PEOPLE IN THE, IN OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR CITIES GET IT.
SO I'M, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE PROGRESS THAT WE'VE MADE SO MUCH THAT PEOPLE ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL AND EVEN ON THE, ON THE INTERNATIONAL GLOBAL LEVEL, ARE TALKING ABOUT, UH, WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
WELL, I'M SO GLAD YOU SAID THAT BECAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY THE NOTE THAT I WANNA END ON.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THE FIGHT IS REAL AND IT CONTINUES.
AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US HAS A ROLE TO PLAY.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A MAYOR, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A SCIENTIST.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT HOW THE WORLD HAS CHANGED IN THE PAST IS BECAUSE PEOPLE USED THEIR VOICES TO ADVOCATE FOR ACTION.
AND THAT IS HOW EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US CAN PLAY A ROLE.
BUT IN ORDER TO KEEP AT THAT ACTION, WE NEED HOPE.
IF WE DON'T THINK THAT THINGS CAN CHANGE, THEN WHY EVEN BOTHER TO TRY? SO IT'S VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I TALK TO PEOPLE ALL OVER THE US AND ALL OVER THE WORLD.
I TALK TO GIRL SCOUTS AND ARCHITECTS AND HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AND CATHOLIC NUNS.
AND I'VE BEEN NOTICING THE LAST FIVE OR SIX YEARS, WHEREVER I GO, THE MOST COMMON QUESTION I AM ASKED BY ANYONE IS WHAT GIVES YOU HOPE? BECAUSE HOPE IS WHAT WE NEED TO PERSEVERE AND HOPE IS NOT, OH, YOU KNOW, IF I JUST PRAY, EVERYTHING WILL WORK OUT FINE.
I THINK WE BOTH BELIEVE GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES.
HOPE IS THE IDEA THAT IF WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
A BETTER FUTURE IS POSSIBLE, BUT WE'RE ONLY GOING TO GET THERE IF WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN.
SO I GO OUT AND I ACTIVELY LOOK FOR HOPE.
I LOOK FOR HOPEFUL STORIES OF THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, AND I SHARE THEM.
AND WHEN I AM NOT IN TEXAS, STORIES OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN HOUSTON.
AND ALSO I HAVE TO SAY, THERE'S THINGS HAPPENING IN DALLAS AND SAN ANTONIO AND AUSTIN OTHER PLACES TOO, BUT STORIES OF WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT HERE GIVES PEOPLE NOT IN TEXAS HOPE BECAUSE THEY LIKE US, FEEL THAT IF THINGS CAN CHANGE HERE, THEY CAN CHANGE ANYWHERE.
SO I WOULD LOVE TO END WITH YOUR FAVORITE EXAMPLE OF WHAT JUST GIVES YOU PERSONALLY HOPE.
LIKE WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN CHANGING THAT JUST MADE YOU FEEL LIKE, YES, THIS GIANT BOULDER IS ROLLING DOWN THE HILL IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
WELL, LOOK, I'LL, I'LL START JUST IN HERE LOCALLY.
I MEAN, COMBINING THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY, BUILDING THAT INSTITUTIONALLY INTO THE CITY OPERATION IS MAJOR.
EVERY DEPARTMENT HAVING A, A RESILIENCE OFFICER, EVERY DEPARTMENT, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU HAVE TO BE A LINE THAT GIVES ME HOPE WHEN I SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SUNNYSIDE.
UM, THIS LANDFILL THAT OPENED IN THE 1930S, CLOSED IN THE 1970S ON THE PROTESTS, LEFT 240 CONTAMINATED ACRES PULLING DOWN THAT COMMUNITY FOR THE LAST 50 YEARS.
AND COME NEXT YEAR, WE ARE TURNING THAT INTO THE LARGEST URBAN SOLAR FARM IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
[00:45:04]
YES.THAT GIVES, THAT GIVES ME HOPE TO SEE WHAT WE ARE DOING IN PARKS AND GREEN SPACE, UH, AT OUR SCHOOLS, UH, IN LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, NOT JUST THE SIGNATURE, BUT ALL THESE OTHER PARKS.
UH, SEEING PEOPLE, KIDS AND FAMILIES PLAY, UH, THE GREEN STORM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE, ALL OF THAT, THAT GIVES ME HOPE.
UH, THE FACT, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT IN TERMS OF HOMES THAT ARE NOW BEING POWERED BY SOLAR AND THAT IS CONTINUING TO INCREASE EVERY SINGLE YEAR IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, THOSE ARE POSITIVE NOTES TO BE ABLE TO HOLD THIS FORUM AND TO LOOK OUT AND SEE ALMOST EVERY CHAIR FULL.
AND WE ARE HAVING THIS THREE DAY CONFERENCE, THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
THAT'S A POSITIVE NOTE THAT PEOPLE ARE ENGAGED TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING AT RICE WITH THEIR, WITH THEIR CARBON MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.
AND THEN A UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON WITH THEIR CARBON MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, TEXAS SOUTHERN.
SO OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ARE ENGAGED, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M THAT, I'M MOTIVATED BY THAT.
AND THEN AT THE SAME TIME, ENERGY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD FOR BP TO JOIN AND UNDERWRITE OUR WILL, UH, RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN, EVEN CENTER POINT UNDERWRITING, THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, UH, THE COLLABORATION THAT'S TAKEN PLACE, UH, THAT IS A POSITIVE NOTE.
AND THEN FOR GREENTOWN LABS, HOUSTON, TO HAVE COME FROM, UM, THE NORTHEAST BOSTON AREA.
AND NOW TO BE RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, ACROSS FROM THE ION, UH, THAT IS, THAT IS MAJOR, UH, THE FOCUS ON CARBON CAPITALIZATION AND HYDROGEN, ALL REALLY TAKING PLACE RIGHT HERE IN THIS CITY IS MAJOR.
AND THEN THE EMPHASIS ON EVS, WE ARE BUILDING THAT INTO THE INFRASTRUCTURE WE JUST REBUILT, UH, BUILT THE A LEAVE, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER, BUT A PART IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE CHARGING STATIONS THAT WE'VE ALREADY PUT IN.
PEOPLE MAY NOT BE UTILIZING THEM NOW, BUT IF YOU BUILD THEM, THEY WILL COME.
JUST HAD A CONVERSATION WITH THE AIRPORT LAST WEEK.
UH, THEY'RE ON THEIR PROGRAM FOR RESILIENCE, SUSTAINABILITY.
THE SAME THING WITH METRO, WITH THE ELECTRIC BUSES.
SAME THING WITH THE RE OF THE PORT.
AND WHAT WE ARE DOING ON THAT FRONT.
WHEN WE ALIGN AND WE COME TOGETHER, SIGNIFICANT THINGS CAN HAPPEN.
SO I WANT TO THANK THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, THE ENERGY SECTOR.
I WANNA THANK OUR COMMUNITY GROUPS, OUR ACTIVISTS.
I WANT TO THANK OUR UNIVERSITIES AND REALLY WANT TO THANK THE STUDENTS.
BECAUSE THIS GENERATION IS SAYING, YOU WILL NOT CONTINUE TO DO WHAT YOU'VE DONE AND ENDANGER OUR FUTURE.
SO I'M VERY THANKFUL TO THIS YOUNGER GENERATION THAT'S STANDING UP AND SAYING, THIS IS A DEFINING MOMENT AND YOU NEED TO GET IT.
SO, AND THEN LASTLY, LEMME CONCLUDE WITH YOU.
HAYHOE, YOU HAVE JUST BEEN A TREMENDOUS CHAMPION IN THIS AREA WITH THE INFORMATION, WITH THE SCIENCE, AND YOU ARE CAUSING US TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO I AM, I'M, I'M VERY, VERY OPTIMISTIC ON WHERE WE ARE AND WHERE WE WE'RE GOING.
AND CAN I GIVE AND, AND CAN I GIVE A SHAMELESS PLUG TO THE, TO THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION? I, I, HEY, YOU CAN HAVE THE PLANS, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES YOU MISS.
I DO WANT TO THANK THEM FOR HISTORICAL TRANSFORMATIONAL FUNDING.
THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT IS A BIG DEAL.
$369 BILLION FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE IS HUGE.
AND A LOT OF WHAT WE ARE DOING WOULD NOT BE TAKING PLACE.
THE ELECTRIC BUSES, THE, THE THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING WITH OUR ROADS AND STREETS, VISION ZERO AND OTHERS WOULD NOT BE TAKING PLACE WITHOUT THEIR SUPPORT.
SO I DO WANT TO THANK THE BIDEN HARRIS ADMINISTRATION FOR GETTING IT AND MOVING FORWARD AND THAT THERE'S MORE BESIDES THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT.
BECAUSE IF YOU GET MY WEEKLY NEWSLETTER, YOU KNOW THIS BECAUSE THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS THIS PAST WEEK, UM, THEY HAVE SET FUEL STANDARDS THAT WILL ENSURE THAT 56% OF NEW VEHICLES ARE ELECTRIC WITHIN THE NEXT DECADE.
AND WALMART IS PUTTING IN CHARGING STATIONS THAT WILL PUT A CHARGING STATION WITHIN JUST A FEW MILES OF 90% OF THE US POPULATION.
SO HOW MANY PIECES OF HOPE DID YOU COUNT IN WHAT HE SAID THERE WAS OVER A DOZEN.
SO WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO? YOU NEED TO SHARE THAT HOPE WITH OTHERS.
AND THAT'S WHAT TODAY IS ABOUT.
THAT'S WHAT TOMORROW IS ABOUT.
[00:50:01]
CONNECT, COLLABORATE, SHARE WHAT YOU HEAR, SHARE WHAT YOU SEE.AND THEN DON'T FORGET, WEDNESDAY'S A CELEBRATION
SO BRING YOUR FAMILIES OUT ON WEDNESDAY, ENJOY WHAT'S HAPPENING.
AND ALL OF THIS IS BEING RECORDED.
I'M GONNA BE USING IT IN MY CLASSES.
YOU CAN USE IT TO SHOW OTHERS EXAMPLES OF WHAT'S HAPPENING.
THIS IS THE WAY THAT WE DON'T SAVE THE PLANET.
'CAUSE THE PLANET DOESN'T ACTUALLY NEED SAVING.
IT IS US LIVING THINGS ON THE PLANET.
I THINK THAT ENDS SESSION ONE.
AND, UM, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
WE ARE HERE FROM UP UNTIL FIVE O'CLOCK, UH, TODAY.
AND YOU CERTAINLY DON'T WANNA MISS THE LUNCHEON SPEAKER TODAY AS WELL.
THAT'S RIGHT HERE TAKING PLACE IN, IN, IN, UM, IN THE LIBRARY.
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING PRESENT.