State and Local Climate and Energy Program
Climate Change Action Plans
Regional Climate Change Action Plan
- National Capital Region (PDF) (114 pp, 2.1MB, About PDF)
A climate change action plan lays out a strategy, including specific policy recommendations, that a local government will use to address climate change and reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Examples of climate change action plans developed by local governments are listed below according to their states.
AZ, AK, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, KY, LA, MD, MA, MN, MO, NH, NM, NY, NC, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, WA, All States
Arizona
Pima County
County Population: 1,012,018
The “Sustainable Action Plan for County Operations,” published in August 2008, recommends specific actions for integrating the goals of sustainability into the way Pima County government operates.
- http://www.pima.gov/sustainable/aug08actionplan-1.pdf (PDF)
(39 pp, 2.12M, About PDF)
Alaska
Homer
City Population: 5,802
The 2007 City of Homer Climate Action Plan recommends both mitigation actions to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions, as well as adaptation measures to prepare the community for changes in its local climate.
- http://www.ci.homer.ak.us/CLPL.pdf (PDF) (50 pp, 846K, About PDF)
California
Alameda
City Population: 70,580
Alameda's Local Action Plan for Climate Protection, released in 2008, includes recommendations for government, businesses, and individuals to reduce the city's emissions to 25 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.
Berkeley
City Population: 101,371
In 2006, Berkeley voters overwhelmingly approved ballot Measure G, which set a goal of reducing the community's GHG emissions by 80 percent by 2050. The city completed a Climate Action Plan in 2009 to serve as a guide toward achieving this goal.
Los Angeles
City Population: 3,833,995
Los Angeles' Green LA action plan details steps for city departments to reduce GHG emissions and outlines a process to facilitate emissions reductions by private businesses and residents. The plan, released in 2007, proposes reducing the city's emissions to 35 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.
Menlo Park
City Population: 30,087
The Menlo Park plan includes a GHG inventory, emissions reductions strategies for both municipal operations and the community as a whole, and options for GHG reduction targets that the city could adopt. The plan was published in 2009.
Colorado
Aspen
City Population: 5,902
Aspen's 2007 Climate Action Plan outlines steps to reducing the city's carbon footprint as part of its Canary Initiative. The plan suggests both government and community actions for the years 2007-2009.
- http://www.aspenpitkin.com/Portals/0/docs/City/GreenInitiatives/Canary/CAP-final%202009.pdf (PDF) (38 pp, 1.1M, About PDF)
Denver
City Population: 598,707
Denver's Climate Action Plan, released in 2007, recommends that the city expand on its original goal to reduce per capita GHG emissions by 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. The plan also recommends that the city achieve this goal by committing to decrease its total community-wide emissions to below 1990 levels by 2020.
Connecticut
Hamden
City Population: 57,862
In 2004, Hamden created a local action plan to help the community reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 10 percent below 2001 levels by 2015.
Florida
Miami-Dade County
County Population: 2,253,362
Miami-Dade County's 2006 CO2 emissions reductions plan summarizes the results of the county's efforts to reduce emissions since its first action plan in 1993. The plan includes recommendations for making further emissions reductions.
Georgia
Atlanta
City Population: 537,958
As part of the Sustainable Atlanta program, the city released its 2008-2009 sustainability report which includes a section on Energy and Climate Change. A task force will begin reducing emissions by developing city ordinances and calculating the community's carbon footprint.
Illinois
Chicago
City Population: 2,853,114
Chicago's 2008 Climate Action Plan proposes actions to achieve a GHG emissions reduction of 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 with an interim goal of 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. The plan outlines 35 actions in five categories related to energy efficient buildings, clean energy, transportation, waste, and adaptation.
- http://www.chicagoclimateaction.org/filebin/pdf/finalreport/CCAPREPORTFINAL.pdf (PDF) (60 pp, 7.23M, About PDF)
Evanston
City Population: 77,693
In 2006, the Evanston City Council voted unanimously to meet the targets of the 2005 Kyoto Protocol: to reduce GHG emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. The Evanston Climate Action Plan, released in 2008, outlines more than 200 strategies for reducing emissions, organized into nine focus areas.
Kentucky
Louisville
City Population: 741,096
Louisville’s Climate Change Action Plan, released in April 2009, includes an overview of Louisville Metro Government’s greenhouse gas inventory, emission reduction targets and strategies, a discussion of the local impacts of climate change, and education and outreach goals. The report also outlines recommendations for meeting Louisville’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.
Louisiana
New Orleans
City Population: 311,853
The “City of New Orleans Carbon Footprint Report,” published in July 2009, details the City's activities and findings as a participant in the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Campaign and offers a GHG inventory, descriptions of ongoing and proposed reduction measures, and recommendations for going forward.
Maryland
Annapolis
City Population: 36,524
The Sustainable Annapolis - Community Action Plan of 2009 outlines a set of strategies to achieve emissions reductions goals for both municipal operations and for the community as a whole. The government is tasked with reducing emissions 50 percent from 2006 levels by 2012, and the community must achieve a 25 percent reduction from 2006 levels in the same time period.
- http://www.ci.annapolis.md.us/upload/images/government/depts/environ/Sustainable%20Annapolis%20-%20Community%20Action%20Plan.pdf (PDF) (20 pp, 4.08M, About PDF)
Chevy Chase
City Population: 2,803
The Chevy Chase Challenge is local program to engage town residents in addressing climate change. The Challenge produced a Climate Action Plan in December 2008 with strategies to reduce the town's emissions 12 percent below 2007 levels by 2012.
Massachusetts
Worcester
City Population: 175,011
The goal of Worcester's 2006 Climate Action Plan is to reduce the community's energy use and greenhouse gas emissions through a combination of cost-recoverable and cost neutral actions.
Minnesota
Northfield
City Population: 19,160
The Northfield Energy Task Force, created by the Northfield City Council in May 2007 to respond to energy and climate challenges, published “With Hope: A Resilient Community – An Action Plan for Northfield Area Energy Sustainability” in June 2008.
Missouri
Kansas City
City Population: 459,787
The Climate Protection Plan Steering Committee, established by the Kansas City Council in 2006, published its “Climate Protection Plan” in July 2008.
New Hampshire
Keene
City Population: 22,407
After completing a local climate action plan in 2004, the City of Keene committed to expand their climate protection efforts to include adaptation. As part of the ICLEI's Climate Resilient Communities Milestones process, Keene published “Adapting to Climate Change: Planning a Climate Resilient Community” in 2007.
New Mexico
Albuquerque
City Population: 521,999
Mayor Martin Chávez appointed a Climate Action Task Force in 2008 to design strategies to reduce GHG emissions by 80 percent by 2050. The task force completed a City of Albuquerque Climate Action Plan in 2009.
New York
New York
City Population: 8,363,710
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg released PlaNYC in April 2007, a comprehensive sustainability plan that makes climate action a centerpiece.
North Carolina
Durham
City Population: 223,284
The City and County of Durham commissioned the 2007 document, “City of Durham & Durham County: Greenhouse Gas and Criteria Air Pollutant Emissions Inventory and Local Action Plan for Emissions Reductions,” to help develop a GHG and criteria air pollution inventory and action plan for the Durham community.
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http://www.dchcmpo.org/dmdocuments/Durham_GHG_Inventory_LAP_Draft_9.pdf (PDF)
(98 pp, 807K, About PDF)
Winston-Salem
City Population: 217,600
The July 2008 “Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Local Action Plan to Reduce Emissions” is a result of Winston-Salem's participation of the U.S Conference of Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement.
Oregon
Portland and Multnomah County
County Population: 714,567
The 2009 “City of Portland and Multnomah County Climate Action Plan” outlines strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2010, 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh
City Population: 310,037
The “Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan,” published in 2008, outlines the measures that government, businesses, higher education institutions, and citizens of Pittsburgh can adopt in order to achieve a target of reducing GHG emissions 20 percent below the 2003 level by 2023.
South Carolina
Charleston
City Population: 111,978
“Local Action Plan on Climate Change,” published in December 2003, analyzes the City of Charleston's greenhouse gas emissions, evaluates the city's energy and resource use, and proposes several greenhouse gas emissions reduction measures.
Tennessee
Chattanooga
City Population: 170,880
Completed in January 2009, “The Chattanooga Climate Action Plan” includes a GHG inventory for the city of Chattanooga, an overview of carbon-reducing policies, and recommended steps to achieve to lower Chattanooga's carbon footprint.
Texas
Austin
City Population: 757,688
The “Austin Climate Protection Plan and Action Items” of April 2008 includes a municipal plan, a utility plan, a homes and building plan, and a community plan—each with actions and goals specific that that sector.
Houston
City Population: 2,242,193
The 2008 “Green Houston Emissions Reduction Plan” addresses greenhouse gas emissions from municipal operations with target reductions by 2010.
Utah
Salt Lake City
City Population: 181,698
Salt Lake City's goal is to reduce GHG emissions from municipal operations by 3 percent per year for the next 10 years, with a long-term goal of reducing emisssions 70 percent by 2040.
Washington
Bellingham
City Population: 78,905
The “City of Bellingham Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Climate Protection Action Plan,” published in May 2007, includes a three-phase action plan to achieve the community's target reduction of 7 percent from 2000 levels by 2012 and 28 percent from 2000 levels by 2020.
- http://www.cob.org/documents/pw/environment/2007-04-12-Greenhouse-gas-inv-rpt-and-action-plan.pdf (PDF) (124 pp, 4.62M, About PDF)
King County
County Population: 1,875,519
The 2007 King County Climate Plan provides an overview of how the county seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and works to anticipate and adapt to projected climate change impacts. The plan details near-term steps to reach a long-term goal of reducing GHG emissions by 80 percent below current levels by 2050.