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Align the Town's 2030 Carbon Reduction Goal with an Updated Science-Based Target.
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Staff: |
Department: |
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Christopher C. Blue, Interim Town Manager |
Manager’s Office |
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Mary Jane Nirdlinger, Deputy Town Manager |
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John Richardson, Community Sustainability Manager |
Office of Sustainability & Resilience |
Overview: To maintain the Town’s goal of doing our fair share to limit global warming to 1.5˚C, we recommend updating the Town’s adopted 2030 emissions reduction target based on the latest science. Following guidance from CDP <https://www.cdp.net/en> and using the recommended World Wildlife Fund One Planet City Challenge <https://wwf.panda.org/projects/one_planet_cities/one_planet_city_challenge/> methodology, the Town’s 2030 emissions reduction target of 50% would move to 59.31% compared to a 2005 baseline. This action better defines the level of commitment needed in 2023, represents the Town’s fair share of global emissions reduction based on historic emissions and current development levels within the United States, maintains the Town’s eligibility as a CDP A-list community <https://www.cdp.net/en/cities/cities-scores>, and with accelerated action can make it easier to meet the Town’s long-term goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
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Recommendation(s): |
That the Council adopt the attached resolution to align the Town’s 2030 carbon reduction goal with an updated science-based target.
Fiscal Impact/Resources: Updating the 2030 carbon reduction goal will require accelerated action and staff will address this in more detail as part of the first quarterly report in FY23-24.
Where is this item in its process?
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• Resolution |
A RESOLUTION TO ALIGN THE TOWN’S 2030 CARBON REDUCTION GOAL WITH AN UPDATED SCIENCE-BASED TARGET (2023-06-14/R-5)
WHEREAS, on June 20, 2018, the Council amended Chapter 5 of the Town Code to include the Architecture 2030 Challenge Fossil Fuel Reduction targets; and
WHEREAS, on September 25, 2019, the Council adopted a resolution committing to plan for Chapel Hill to transition to 100% clean, renewable energy community-wide by 2050; and
WHEREAS, on April 7, 2021, the Town of Chapel Hill adopted a Climate Action and Response Plan, which charts a course for reducing the emissions that cause climate change and adapting to our changing climate, including a goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050; and
WHEREAS, the Town of Chapel Hill reports annually to CDP <https://www.cdp.net/en> for emissions disclosure and climate action reporting purposes; and
WHEREAS, CDP recommends that all reporting communities adopt mid-term (2030) emissions reduction targets that are aligned with each community’s fair share of limiting global warming to 1.5˚C; and
WHEREAS, CDP recommends that the Town of Chapel Hill use the WWF One Planet City Challenge methodology; and
WHEREAS, updating the Town’s 2030 emissions reduction target better defines the level of commitment needed in 2023, represents the Town’s fair share of global emissions reduction based on historic emissions and current development levels within the United States, maintains the Town’s eligibility as a CDP A-list community, and can make it easier to meet the Town’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council updates the Town’s mid-term (2030) emissions reduction target to 59.31% from a 2005 baseline.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the 2030 absolute emissions target is 426,284 MTCO2e or 5.75 MTCO2e per capita.
This the 14th day of June, 2023.
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The Agenda will reflect the text below and/or the motion text will be used during the meeting. |
presenter
By adopting the resolution, the Council aligns the Town’s 2030 emissions reduction goal with an updated science-based target.