A Climate Action Plan is a strategic framework for measuring, planning, and implementing greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction strategies and related impacts of climate change for government operations and the community. Globally, private organizations, public organizations, and all levels of 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.
Based on the data gathered as part of its 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.
Staff recommends that the City set a target of 80% emissions reduction compared to 2014 baseline by 2050.. 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.
In order to meet the long-term goal of 80% reduction by 2050, it is recommended that annual target be established to 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 Environment & Sustainability Department has completed the GHG analysis and developed actions for the Climate Action Plan. 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 by the Environment & Sustainability Department, and recommend additional actions that will assist the City expedite its target goals.
The City staff engaged in conversations with AECOM to develop a proposal and the attached scope of work (Attachment A) was proposed, which includes 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
- Emissions and actions analysis that will determine different scenarios for the City’s targets
- Public engagement to gather information from the community regarding the proposed Climate Action Plan
- Plan development with graphic designs and a finalized Climate Action Plan document
After a series of meetings with AECOM, the proposal was budgeted at $95,306. Staff identified funds available from the Environment & Sustainability Department’s budget for sustainable initiatives to be used for this consulting service. The proposal does not include the costs of the implementation strategy of each action or their return on investment. We anticipate these elements to cost approximately $200,000 and could be done in a Phase 2 of the Climate Action Plan, when the plan goes under implementation and is aligned with the Budget Plan.