Climate Action Planning. City planning is nothing new in the U.S. and elsewhere. The first planned city in the New World took place when, in 1733, British General James Oglethorpe landed his group of 120 former debtors prison inmates about a dozen miles up from where the Savannah River meets the Atlantic Ocean, laid a grid upon the land by the riverbank, and called it Savannah. What is new, is widespread recognition of rising global temperatures, due to human activity, and the need, at every level, to find ways to counteract this warming of the planet. Cities included. Some cities have been at what we now call Climate Action Planning (CAP) for 20+ years, going back to the turn of the millennium and possibly earlier. Others, ostrich-like, continue to ignore the situation, denying it altogether, hoping it will somehow just all go away, or hoping that others will do all the heavy lifting. So what is a CAP? It is a framework document for measuring, tracking, and reducing GHG emissions and adopting climate adaptation measures. It is used as a guide to administrative bodies in addressing the impact of climate change in their communities. www.climatecheck.com/risks/mitigation/what-is-a-climate-action-plan “Top 5 Ways Cities Are Addressing Climate Change” www.nlc.org .
This NLC article also lists the top 10 themes from US city CAPs: (1 – 10): energy-efficient buildings; EVs; optimized waste operations; public transport; acquisition of renewable energy; environmental justice; climate resilience; density & mix of land uses; sustainable food access; and air quality. “Local Governments Toolkit” This is a listing of public sector energy tools and toolkits, compiled by Getting to Zero. www.gettingtozeroforum.org/local-governments/ Some of these tools/toolkits include: Net Zero Energy and Decarbonization Toolkit; Public Buildings Portfolio Management Strategic Energy Plan Template; Zero Energy Communications Toolkit; Community Action Planning for Energy Efficiency; Building Electrification Action Plan for Climate Leaders; Zero Energy Project; and others. “A Strategic Approach to Climate Action in Cities: Focused Acceleration” www.mckinsey.com 11/12/17.
The McKinsey article prioritizes efforts in 4 areas that it says could help cities achieve 90 to 100% of the emissions reductions needed by 2030, these being: decarbonizing the electricity grid; optimizing energy efficiency in buildings; enabling next generation mobility; and improving waste management. “C40 Climate Action Planning Resource Centre” www.c40.org. Provides resources and tools to support climate planners in the process of delivering action consistent with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Other CAP guidelines available from: www.iclei.org, www.icleiusa.org And who is going to coordinate and manage the whole CAP effort? Find out at “Why Would a City Need a Chief Climate Officer?” www.governing.com 8/26/22. And we’ll wrap this CAP session up with a few cities whose climate action plans and reports should provide some ideas of what goes into a CAP.
“Copenhagen Climate Plan Roadmap 2021-2025” www.smartcity-atelier.eu “GPS Case Study: City of Columbus OH: “GPS Data Points the Way to a Projected Savings of $1.2M Annually” www.assetworks.com . Washington DC: “Climate of Opportunity: A Climate Action Plan For the District of Columbia” www.doee.dc.gov . Eugene OR: “A Community Climate and Energy Action Plan for Eugene” www.eugene-or.gov . Alameda CA: “Local Action Plan for Climate Protection” www.ca-ilg.org . Vancouver BC: “Greenest City: 2020 Action Plan” www.vancouver.ca .
Boston MA: Greenovate Boston: 2014 Climate Action Plan Update” www.cityofboston.gov . Chicago IL: “Lessons Learned: Creating the Chicago Climate Action Plan” www.chicagoclimateaction.org . London UK: “London Environment Strategy” www.london.gov . Portland ME: “Municipal Climate Action Plan” www.portlandmaine.gov . New York NY: “One City: Built to Last” www.nyc.gov . Cambridge MA: “Cambridge Net Zero Action Plan” (2021 Update) www.cambridgema.gov