By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Last week, I attended the annual Climate Change Teach-In at UMass Lowell to talk about how Somerville is leading the way in battling global warming. After I called upon Somerville in my inaugural address in January to set a citywide goal to reduce our net carbon emissions to zero by 2050, the organizers wanted to hear what we were doing to reach that goal. And, why set such a high goal, even though we don’t necessarily have a defined path toward achieving that goal?

As with any tipping point, there are a number of reasons that compelled me. There’s the documented effect that carbon emissions have had on the health of Somerville residents. Our community suffers from higher-than-average rates of heart disease and respiratory illness in part because of the creation of I-93 and McGrath Highway. There is recognizing the values of the community that I represent, what’s in our DNA, and standing up for our values of promoting sustainability and strong environmental stewardship. There is the need to lead and the need to be bold. If we want spark change elsewhere, we need to set high goals ourselves and start chipping away. There are many compelling and important reasons for us to commit to reducing carbon emissions—so many facts, data and studies that raise of level of disequilibrium and charge us with doing the work.

But one reason engenders urgency above all others: I have four sons. And we will not abandon my sons, our children, and our children’s children to a world devastated by the scientific fact of climate change.

We all have families we care for, and we all want our children to thrive in a climate and environment that provides great opportunities for them. In recent years—especially after witnessing the devastation of Superstorm Sandy—much attention has been focused on protecting ourselves from climate change-induced threats. Don’t get me wrong, adaptation is of critical importance, and we are looking for ways to be safer and more resilient. But what we can easily lose sight of is that those “worst case scenario” climate change projections are based on the actions we take now. We don’t have to get to the worst case scenario.

This is why we need to lead. And it needs to begin in our cities. It needs to begin with us. By 2050, 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities. That is expected to rise to more than 80 percent by 2100. Already, cities are collectively responsible for over 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions across the planet. That means cities are in a unique position to do something to address climate change. If we all sweat the small, local stuff, we can make a big, global change.

Recently, a report by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group determined that city governments could cut global greenhouse gas emissions by 3.7 billion tons by 2030 and 8 billion tons by 2050—on our own. With absolutely no national directive, cities can make this change.

We’ve already begun in earnest, from energy efficiency and clean energy projects in city buildings, to higher standards for all new construction and fuel efficiency standards for our city fleet. The community charged us in SomerVision to create an environment that reduces our reliance on cars, and the emissions they produce. We are well on our way to increase our tree canopy by 20 percent and have begun to switch to LED streetlights.

Exactly how Somerville is going to zero out our carbon emissions in the next 35 years isn’t settled. There will be technologies and world events that we cannot predict. We are passionate in our curiosity and our commitment to find the answers. But what we can do is lay the groundwork so that our community insists on climate action in future generations. And we can also start pushing the boundaries of how we use data, technology, and common sense to reduce our carbon emissions.

When I announced that Somerville will be a net zero emissions community, I didn’t do it because it’s what I believe, although it is. I did it because it’s what we believe, as a community. Our job as elected officials is to stand up for the values of our community. And as a parent, it’s my job to fight for my children’s future. This is about them not having to grow up in a world where global warming has changed the face of the city they grew up in. It’s about them growing up in a city with more high-heat temperatures that worsen respiratory disorders, heart conditions and infectious diseases, while reducing food availability. That’s according to a 20-year study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last month.

This is about our children’s health. It’s about our grandchildren’s health. That is why we must act on global warming. That is not meant to be a dire vision of the future. But I have hope, because of the voices in our community that have taken a stand on this issue. We’ve shown up. That’s a start. But it’s not enough to just show up. So let’s get to work.