The Cambridge City Council has taken a step closer to implementing a law that would require large commercial property owners to achieve “net zero” carbon emissions by 2035, 15 years earlier than the deadline set in Boston, Boston Business Journal reported.  

The council voted in favor of advancing amendments to the city’s Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance, which would impose fines on properties that fail to reduce their emissions. The final vote on the measure is expected to take place during the council’s June 26 meeting.  

The proposal has faced opposition from institutions like Harvard University and MIT, but proponents argue that wealthy cities like Cambridge should take a leadership role in tackling climate change. Under the plan, non-residential properties over 100,000 square feet would have to reduce emissions to at least 80% of 2018-2019 levels by 2026 and achieve net zero by 2035. Smaller properties would have until 2050 to comply.