ARIZONA NEWS

Phoenix releases progress report on plan to reach carbon neutrality, zero waste by 2050

Oct 3, 2024, 1:00 PM

Climate Action Plan Phoenix progress report...

Phoenix has installed solar arrays atop parking garages and other structures at Sky Harbor International Airport to help reach the goals of its Climate Action Plan. (City of Phoenix Photo)

(City of Phoenix Photo)

PHOENIX – Three years after adopting a strategy to attain carbon neutrality and zero waste by 2050, the city of Phoenix released its first Climate Action Plan Progress Report.

“This progress report indicates that we are on the right track to reach our ambitious targets and will help us sharpen our focus as we continue toward our vision to become the most sustainable desert city in the world,” Mayor Kate Gallego said in a press release Wednesday.

The Phoenix City Council approved the Climate Action Plan in 2021. The data-driven strategy is based, in part, on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) inventories conducted in partnership with Arizona State University.

What does Climate Action Plan report say about greenhouse emissions?

Community-scale GHG emissions rose slightly from 2020 to 2022 after decreasing steadily since 2012, according to the progress report, but that recent increase comes with a caveat.

“This was due to increasing GHG emissions related to transportation, partly due to a rebound in 2022 from reduced commuting and air travel during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020,” the report says.

The report also indicates that per capita GHG emissions in the state’s most populous city have declined by 20.5% since a baseline was established in 2012.

In recent years, the city has taken multiple steps toward reaching the goals of its Climate Action Plan. That includes the installation of solar arrays atop Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport structures and a Cool Pavement Program.

In addition, Phoenix has established offices of Heat Response, Innovation, Water Resources and Public Health.

“Phoenix is on the front lines of climate change, which is why we’re working day in and day out to develop new strategies to cut emissions, build resilient infrastructure and, importantly, empower residents to take climate action, too,” Gallego said.

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Phoenix releases progress report on plan to reach carbon neutrality, zero waste by 2050