Global warming hot topic

Global warming was a hot topic at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

The council voted unanimously to support Councilwoman Cheryl Kinsman’s proposal to adopt the Conference of U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection agreement, which supports local efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“A unanimous vote sends a message that this council is taking a leadership role,” said Anne Caenn, speaking on behalf of Village Laguna.

Kinsman’s proposal was supported by 17 members of the audience and opposed by one.

Mayor Toni Iseman limited public comment to one minute per person due to the number of people who wished to speak, although the council made its support known in advance.

The proposal was endorsed by Greg O’Laughlin, speaking for the city’s Environmental Committee; Sierra Club representative Mike Sappingfield; Linda Brown for the Laguna Beach unit of the League of Women Voters; and Aliso Viejo Councilman Karl Warkomski.

Laguna Beach became the fourth city in Orange County to adopt the agreement, according to Warkomski.

“We have to change our way of thinking,” Penny Elia told the council. “When you asked if the audience was warm and they said yes, you turned on the air conditioning. It’s about 40 degrees outside — you could have opened the door.”

Kinsman said she put the proposal on the agenda because she had received e-mails describing and discussing the agreement. The e-mails asked her to support the agreement.

“Given the number of contacts and our community’s historic concerns about protecting our environment, I believed that the council should adopt the agreement,” Kinsman said.

The agreement commits the participating cities to strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol goals in their own communities — by actions ranging from anti-sprawl land-use policies to urban forest restoration and public information campaigns.

It also urges the state and federal governments to enact policies and programs to meet or beat recommended green house emission reduction of 7% from 1990 levels by 2012 and to urge Congress to pass bi-partisan gasoline reduction legislation.

For more information about the agreement and ways that individuals can work toward the goals, visit web site www.usmayors.org/ climateprotection.