Latest news with #StrategicEnergyActionPlan
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Charlotte's new climate goals aim to balance reducing emissions with community improvement
In a unanimous vote last week, the Charlotte City Council approved an update to the city's climate goals. Council originally set climate benchmarks in 2018, and the city established the Strategic Energy Action Plan to meet those goals by tracking and reducing the city's greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to cleaner sources of electricity. The updated version, known as the Strategic Energy Action Plan Plus, expands on those goals by setting a benchmark to transition its entire light-duty fleet and cut citywide emissions by 72% by 2035, then reach net-zero emissions by 2050. ALSO READ: Charlotte adjusts city-wide climate goals as 2030 deadline approaches Additionally, Heather Bolick, the city's chief sustainability officer, explained that the new plan also focuses far more on climate adaptation and ways to make green technology more accessible to those who live and work in the city. 'One thing that we found through our engagement that was really important to the community was things like tree canopy and also reducing waste,' she said. 'We need more shade. We need a cooler city.' Bolick explained a city study found Charlotte is experiencing triple the high heat days that it experienced on average 30 years ago, so finding ways to improve shade or reflect the heat rather than absorb it is an important part of the city's plan moving forward. 'We have concrete instead of asphalt,' she explained. 'We have cool roofs, and that reflects the heat back up into the atmosphere.' The largest portion of the city's emissions comes from transportation, particularly road and rail. While Bolick explains the city is working to cut down on that through replacing its fleet with electric vehicles, adding more charging infrastructure, and advocating for the county transit plan to reduce car dependency. The Peppertree Apartments are benefiting from another city's strategy. A partnership between the complex, a mobility nonprofit, and the city, Peppertree Apartments, launched an EV carshare program about three months ago. As property manager Meg Martin explains, the program allows residents, many of whom make below the area median income, to reserve and drive one of the on-site EVs for less than the cost of an Uber or Lyft. 'A lot of our residents don't have actual vehicles, but they have a driver's license,' she said. 'This gives them a chance if they need to go to the doctors, if they need to go grocery shopping, or if they need to get their child to and from daycare.' From the city's perspective, it's a win-win, allowing more families access to affordable point-to-point transportation while reducing emissions and making green technology more accessible. Bolick said the city hopes to get more programs like this off the ground, including the Solarize Charlotte-Mecklenburg program, which aims to make residential and community solar more affordable to residents across the city. In the meantime, Bolick said the city is continuing to try and get all its electricity from zero-carbon sources by 2030 by building up its own solar generation. In the end, though, she said Charlotte can't meet its ambitious goals unless there's buy-in from local residents and businesses. 'The past six years we've been putting policy in place, programs, really setting ourselves up to get ourselves going,' she said. 'Now we're asking our community to come with us.' VIDEO: Charlotte adjusts city-wide climate goals as 2030 deadline approaches
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Charlotte adjusts city-wide climate goals as 2030 deadline approaches
Across Charlotte, you may have seen more solar on city rooftops and more electric cars on the road. The rapid shift comes from a 2018 resolution city council passed unanimously to make Charlotte a leader in fighting climate change. Duke Energy expands aid programs amid high bills From there, Sarah Hazel, the chief sustainability and resiliency officer, said the city laid out the Strategic Energy Action Plan to find a way to make Charlotte a 'low carbon city' by 2050, and have all city and fleet cars running on 100% clean energy by 2030. 'It's trending in the right direction,' she said. 'But there's still a lot of work to do.' With five years to go until that 2030 deadline, Hazel said the city's made significant progress in expanding its electric fleet and converting all its buildings to clean power. The city now has more than 200 EVs in its fleet, more than 30 solar projects throughout the city and after a second power purchase agreement with Duke Energy to build a solar farm in South Davidson County, Hazel said the city will have enough green energy to be within 19% of that 2030 goal. Meanwhile, meeting the fleet goal by 2030 is proving to be more difficult. Sustain Charlotte urges local investment as EPA dismantles environmental justice initiatives 'Given we have vehicles that are big as fire trucks and solid waste vehicles and right now, the technology isn't quite there,' she said. Though the city is investing in electric busses and will be getting its first electric firetruck when the new Fire Station 30 opens, Hazel said its not feasible to expect a full-electric transition for most of their heavy-duty vehicles. Instead, she believes the city should set a new goal for full fleet of light-duty vehicles powered entirely by clean energy by 2035. 'The infrastructure that it takes to charge those [large] vehicles are more challenging than some of our smaller vehicles that, we have have more options and opportunities to purchase,' she said. 'We are replacing our vehicles with the lowest emitting vehicle that can do the job.' As for overall emissions, Hazel's office completed an inventory on 2023 emissions which she presented to a council committee last week. The data shows per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Charlotte decreased by 30% since 2019 and while road transportation emissions remain the largest emitter in the city, the category has also seen one of the largest reductions. Moving forward, Hazel said the city has been taking that assessment as well as resident feedback to develop an updated SEAP to present to council in March. The new plan, she believes will get Charlotte to those 2035 goals as well as a new city-wide net-zero by 2050 goal, while taking into account new priorities. 'For example, one thing is extreme heat, and so this updated Strategic Energy Action Plan will make that direct connection between things like the climate risk of heat and some of the other work, such as our tree our tree canopy action plan,' she said. Hazel said the city is taking into account results from the recent UNC Charlotte heat mapping study and should be looking for ways to address those areas where the city's heat island effect is the worst. In the near-term however, Charlotte will face headwinds from a new federal administration that has deprioritized issues like environmental justice and climate mitigation. Many of the city's investments thus far have relied on federal grants, incentives and tax credits, which are unlikely to continue under the Trump Administration. Given those challenges, Councilmember Ed Driggs said the city needs to be clear-headed about what it could take financially to meet these climate goals without as much outside help. 'Is the city prepared to make investments by offering incentives for example, in order to help us achieve that goal? That's the tough question,' he said. To Hazel however, this is a commitment the city made six years ago, and while federal priorities come and go, Charlotte made a promise to follow through even if it means looking for help in nontraditional ways. 'Look for those public private partnerships, partnerships directly with the community and nonprofits that are doing incredible work,' she said. 'And look at both the local context as the landscape changes.' VIDEO: Sustain Charlotte urges local investment as EPA dismantles environmental justice initiatives
