County Council President to join world leaders in discussing climate challenges

U.N. conference to focus on actions needed to combat climate change

Metropolitan King County Council Chair Larry Phillips will represent King County and the United States at a United Nations conference on the global effort to reduce the impact of climate change. Phillips will be part of a delegation from 12 U.S. cities that have been recognized for their work at the local level.

“I look forward to sharing King County’s Strategic Climate Action Plan with the American delegation and world leaders on climate change, and to learn from other jurisdictions about their critical work combatting climate pollution,” said Phillips. “I am honored to attend as a delegate and to urge support for a global climate agreement, a critical step for governments around the world to reduce our carbon footprint.”

The coalition of U.S. mayors, city and county officials announced today that they will join the UN Conference of Parties (COP) meeting in Paris in December. The conference will be an opportunity for Phillips and the other U.S. delegates to showcase their jurisdiction’s climate leadership and call for an ambitious international agreement that addresses our climate crisis and supports further action at the local level.

Phillips will represent King County as part of the “Local Climate Leaders Circle,” which also includes representatives from the cities of Atlanta, Boulder, Chula Vista, Columbus, Des Moines, Grand Rapids, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, West Palm Beach, and Santa Monica. The Leaders Circle—which is  coordinated in partnership by World Wildlife Fund (WWF), ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, National League of Cities, and U.S. Green Building Council in association with the Compact of Mayors and C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group—works alongside city officials from across the United States to advance local climate goals.

The partners work closely on a range of efforts including updating measurements of their greenhouse gas emissions, preparing local projects to better access needed financing, engaging citizens on climate action, and meeting with high-level representatives from the U.S. government and international community to advance a climate accord that benefits city action, recognizing that the most ambitious local goals can only be achieved alongside an enabling national and international framework.