At the December 9, 2020 City Commission Meeting, the discussion on adopting a Climate Action Plan was referred to the Land Use and Sustainability Committee. The item was sponsored by Michael Góngora.

The City has demonstrated its support to climate action by adopting several previous commitments, including:

• Resolution 2015-29156: signing on to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy and pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, track progress towards greenhouse gas reduction goals, and enhance the City’s resiliency to climate change;
• Resolution 2017-29872: endorsing the “Ready for 100” campaign which challenges cities in the U.S. to set a target to achieve 100% renewable energy;
• Resolution 2017-29906: honoring and upholding the City’s commitment to the policies, goals, and standards set forth in the Paris Climate Agreement.
  
  

According to the 2019 Community Satisfaction Survey, 73.4% of residents have taken steps to make their house more energy efficient and 67% have taken steps to make their house more water efficient. Efficiency upgrades save money and reduce green house gas emissions. In addition, less than half of Miami Beach residents are satisfied with the city efforts to be a green or sustainable city.

A Climate Action Plan is a strategic framework for measuring, planning, and implementing strategies with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and related impacts of climate change for government operations and the community. Globally, private organizations, public organizations, and all levels or governments create Climate Action Plans to provide a road map to lower carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality. A Climate Action Plan differs from organization to organization, but it usually contains: 1) a GHG emissions inventory, 2) emissions reduction goals or targets, and 3) recommended actions to reduce emissions.

Every year, the City compiles a GHG inventory for community wide emissions and government operations emissions. The GHG emissions inventory is the first step in creation of a Climate Action Plan. The GHG emissions inventory will serve as a baseline for developing emissions reduction goals and targets and allows for the benchmarking of progress as mitigation policies and programs are implemented.

Based on the data gathered as part of the annual GHG emissions inventory, it is recommended that the City’s Climate Action Plan focus on three main categories: electricity consumption, transportation, and solid waste. Each year, the largest source of emissions is from electricity consumption, making up 60-70% of total emissions community wide; followed by transportation, comprising about 20% of total emissions; and then solid waste, constituting less than 15% of total emissions.

A target of 80% emissions reduction compared to 2014 baseline by 2050 is proposed. Miami-Dade County and the State of Florida have passed similar targets. Miami-Dade County has a reduction target of 80% below 2008 levels by 2050 and the State of Florida has a reduction target of 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. These targets support the Paris Climate Agreement which established a goal of limiting global warming below 2° Celsius, and work to limit to 1.5° Celsius.  It would be beneficial to align our goals with those of the county and the state. Many cities have adopted a similar or more aggressive target.

Staff recommends that the long-term goal of 80% reduction by 2050 is broken down into annual targets. This will allow the City to track its progress each year and ensure that it is on the path of meeting the 2050 goal. The breakdown of annual targets is:

-          Between 2021 and 2030: reduce emissions by 3% annually

-          Between 2031 and 2040: reduce emissions by 2.75% annually

-          Between 2041 and 2050: reduce emissions by 2.25% annually

It is also recommended that the City’s Climate Action Plan establish targets as follows:

 Electricity Consumption

• Reduce community-wide energy consumption by 80% by 2050.
• Transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Transportation

• Increase non-vehicle travel by 12% by 2035, as per the Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan.

• Increase number of EVs and hybrids in municipal fleet of sedans to 581 by 2025.
  
  

Solid Waste

• Decrease solid waste sent to waste management facility by 25% by 2050.

• Reduce recycling contamination rate by 50% by 2030.
  
  

The next step for the City to create a Climate Action Plan is to assess the cost and to prioritize the implementation. It is recommended that the City employ an outside consultant that specializes in developing Climate Action Plans for municipalities and large organizations to review and vet the data collected to date by the Environment & Sustainability Department. This consultant will be responsible for finalizing the Climate Action Plan. The Environment & Sustainability Department has completed most of the work that a consultant typically is responsible for gathering. It is anticipated that the cost will be minimal and can be covered with money in the Environment & Sustainability Department’s budget for sustainable initiatives.  It is recommended that the firm complete the following:

•  Review and fine-tune the draft Climate Action Plan prepared by staff

• Confirm prioritization of the top recommendations that would have the greatest impact for reducing emissions
• Develop implementation strategy, including return on investment
• Assist with community education and outreach

The following is presented to the members of the Land Use and Sustainability Committee for discussion and further direction.