Agenda 11-02-23; 6-a - Orange County Climate Action Plan and Greenhouse Gas Inventory

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1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: November 2, 2023 Action Agenda Item No. 6-a SUBJECT: Orange County Climate Action Plan with Greenhouse Gas Inventory — Final Report DEPARTMENT: County Manager ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Orange County Climate Action Plan with Amy Eckberg, Sustainability Programs Greenhouse Gas Inventory Manager, 919-245-2626 PURPOSE: To receive the final Climate Action Plan (CAP) containing the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory report from Bluestrike Environmental Consulting and approve the Climate Action Plan. BACKGROUND: The next few years are critical in limiting global temperature to a 1.5° C increase and mitigating the most severe impacts of climate change. To do so, global emissions need to be halved by 2030, and net zero emissions must be achieved by 2050. Investments now will reduce long-term operation costs, reduce recovery costs from climate-related disasters, and promote growth in local jobs and the economy. The climate action plan addresses the specific strategies that will help the County meet the climate change mitigation goals set by the Board in recent years including: • To proportionally uphold the Paris Climate Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions between 26-28 percent by 2025 from 2005 levels. • Transition to a 100% renewable energy-based economy by 2050. • Signatory to the Global Covenant of Mayors pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance resilience to climate change, and track progress transparently. As part of the County's on-going efforts to accelerate the mitigation of climate change, the County began a climate action planning process in November 2022 utilizing the professional services of Bluestrike Environmental Consulting to synthesize the work the County is already doing, to build upon the collaborative efforts and progress made with regional partners and the Towns, and to develop a suite of strategies, or "roadmap" for the County to follow to achieve its climate goals. Key elements of the CAP include an updated GHG inventory. The GHG inventory describes which sectors contribute the most GHG emissions in Orange County and helps gauge progress towards reducing these emissions compared to previous GHG inventories completed in 2005 and 2017. The results of the GHG inventory have helped prioritize Climate Action Plan strategies based on which measures will have the most impact on reducing GHG emissions.