Mayor Sylvester Turner and the City of Houston’s Office of Sustainability today announced a new partnership with bp that will help advance major goals in the City’s recently launched Houston Climate Action Plan (CAP). Visit www.greenhoustontx.gov for more information on the CAP.
Under the agreement, bp will serve as the City’s strategic planning and technical partner on the CAP for the next four years. bp will make experts available to help identify priority programs and to lead or support working groups on specific areas of the CAP, including reducing regional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving energy efficiency in buildings. The agreement also includes a grant of $2 million from bp to the City’s Office of Sustainability to directly support the implementation of CAP programs and increasing community awareness and participation in the plan. The City can use the unrestricted grant in any other ways needed to advance the CAP, while working with bp, other companies, non-profits and community stakeholders toward achieving goals within the plan.
“As we work to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Houston—in the middle of a heat wave—the connection between climate change and community health cannot be ignored,” said Mayor Turner. “Partnership is key to the success of any community-wide initiative and bp’s recent commitment to net-zero emissions and helping cities decarbonize makes them an ideal implementation partner for the Houston Climate Action Plan. bp’s financial support and technical expertise across the entire energy spectrum will help move the CAP forward in these challenging and uncertain times.”
The announcement comes as both the City of Houston and bp are working to re-invent themselves for a low carbon future. The CAP is the cornerstone of that effort for the City of Houston. It is a science-based, community-driven plan to reduce emissions, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and make Houston a leader in the global energy transition. It is also a critical part of Mayor Turner’s Hurricane Harvey recovery effort, which identified climate change as a key threat to the city’s future.
The CAP focuses on reducing emissions in the four areas that generate most of the city’s GHG emissions: transportation, energy transition, building optimization, and materials management. Each focus area identifies goals, strategies, actions and targets for residents, businesses and the City to follow. bp offers expertise across the energy spectrum and within each of the four areas of the CAP.
“The transition to a cleaner, net zero future is an extraordinary opportunity for Houston to lead the global energy transition while also improving the quality of life for millions of people in the region,” said William Lin, executive vice president of bp’s Regions, Cities and Solutions team. “Mayor Turner and the Houston City Council should be commended for keeping this vital work at the top of the agenda, especially during these uncertain times. At bp, we also remain focused on delivering our net zero ambition and look forward to partnering with other cities, countries and corporations who share this vision.”
Earlier this year, bp announced its ambition to become a net zero emissions company by 2050 or sooner and to help the world reach net zero. As part of this ambition, the company launched a new team that will be at the forefront of helping regions, cities and corporations decarbonize. It will leverage bp’s expertise across the energy spectrum to identify innovative, integrated and low-carbon energy solutions for governments and businesses around the world seeking to reduce their emissions.
Source: City of Houston
