Mayor Sylvester Turner named to climate leadership post, trumpets Paris goals

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner delivers his annual State of the City address at Marriott Marquis Hotel Thursday, May 4, 2017, in Houston. ( Yi-Chin Lee / Houston Chronicle ) Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner delivers his annual State of the City address at Marriott Marquis Hotel Thursday, May 4, 2017, in Houston. ( Yi-Chin Lee / Houston Chronicle ) Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Mayor Sylvester Turner named to climate leadership post, trumpets Paris goals 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has been named co-chair of the Climate Mayors, a group of 331 local leaders that this weekend is trumpeting its support for the goals of the Paris Agreement that President Donald Trump announced this month his administration would abandon.

Gathered this weekend in Miami Beach, Florida as part of the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors, the group is seeking to rally additional cities to its cause and to reaffirm its members' commitment to reducing greenhouse gases.

"As the Energy Capital of the world, it's our responsibility to find sustainable ways to power the future," Turner said. "By investing in green power, improving building efficiency, and revitalizing our green spaces, Houston is proof that large industrial cities can act on climate and maintain a robust, growing economy."

Turner also joined the group in pledging to reduce his city's carbon emissions immediately following the president's announcement June 1.

Houston, the nation's largest municipal purchaser of green power, has pledged to cut city greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050 from 2007 levels. It trimmed emissions by 35 percent over the last decade.

Texas, however, has for years emitted more carbon dioxide than any other state, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data. It ranked 15th in 2014 for per-capita energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.

Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker joined the former mayor of Philadelphia and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in launching Climate Mayors, then called The Mayors National Climate Action Agenda, in 2014.

In addition to Turner, Garcetti also named Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero as co-chairs. The group's members represent the nation's 10 largest cities and, all told, more than 65 million Americans.

The organizers of this year's mayoral conference also are framing the chosen location as relevant to climate change; Miami Beach has invested more than $100 million to raise streets and install pumps to combat rising sea levels.