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11 <br /> 1 • To proportionally uphold the Paris Climate Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas <br /> 2 emissions between 26-28 percent by 2025 from 2005 levels. <br /> 3 • Transition to a 100% renewable energy-based economy by 2050. <br /> 4 • Signatory to the Global Covenant of Mayors pledging to reduce greenhouse gas <br /> 5 emissions, enhance resilience to climate change, and track progress transparently. <br /> 6 <br /> 7 As part of the County's on-going efforts to accelerate the mitigation of climate change, the County <br /> 8 began a climate action planning process in November 2022 utilizing the professional services of <br /> 9 Bluestrike Environmental Consulting to synthesize the work the County is already doing, to build <br /> 10 upon the collaborative efforts and progress made with regional partners and the Towns, and to <br /> 11 develop a suite of strategies, or"roadmap" for the County to follow to achieve its climate goals. <br /> 12 <br /> 13 Key elements of the CAP include an updated GHG inventory. The GHG inventory describes <br /> 14 which sectors contribute the most GHG emissions in Orange County and helps gauge progress <br /> 15 towards reducing these emissions compared to previous GHG inventories completed in 2005 <br /> 16 and 2017. The results of the GHG inventory have helped prioritize Climate Action Plan strategies <br /> 17 based on which measures will have the most impact on reducing GHG emissions. <br /> 18 Other key components of the plan include a robust community/stakeholder engagement process <br /> 19 that has helped shape specific climate action strategies. The plan also includes methodology for <br /> 20 implementation, evaluation and updating. In addition, Bluestrike has prepared a comprehensive <br /> 21 funding plan linked to climate action plan strategies, and designed a climate action plan <br /> 22 dashboard that will display progress related to the plan's implementation on the County's website. <br /> 23 <br /> 24 The draft Climate Action Plan was presented to the Board of County Commissioners at the <br /> 25 September 5, 2023 Business meeting. Comments were received from Board members and <br /> 26 incorporated into the final Climate Action Plan. <br /> 27 <br /> 28 The draft Climate Action Plan was also presented at a community symposium event in early <br /> 29 September and a month-long public comment period was established to receive feedback <br /> 30 through an on-line forum. Based on community feedback received, adjustments were made to <br /> 31 several action items in the draft Climate Action Plan that was presented to the Board on <br /> 32 September 5, 2023. Some key updates include: <br /> 33 <br /> 34 • Added the newly announced American Climate Corps program in the CAP as a way to <br /> 35 involve more youth directly with CAP actions; <br /> 36 • Moved up the study date for curbside composting due to strong community support. This <br /> 37 action was seen as a "gateway" action that can drive community interest and <br /> 38 understanding in climate action; <br /> 39 • Included several new actions prioritizing conservation of green spaces, preventing urban <br /> 40 sprawl, and promoting sustainable land use; <br /> 41 • Added action to develop a mechanism for the community to donate to the Community <br /> 42 Climate Action Grant Program to expand capacity to fund community climate action <br /> 43 projects; <br /> 44 . Added action to promote safety and purposeful connection of existing and future bike <br /> 45 trails and bike lanes that promote sustainable travel and connectivity. <br /> 46 <br /> 47 The Commission for the Environment also reviewed the draft CAP and provided extensive <br /> 48 feedback to improve actions, graphs, and made refinements to wording which has been <br /> 49 incorporated into the final CAP. <br />