The three major governments in the area all have ambitious plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to eliminate fossil fuels by 2050. Those plans are measured by inventories and the city of Charlottesville has released data for the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.
“Due to stay-at-home orders and the reduction of GHG-producing activities, emissions levels dropped significantly,” reads a press release on the topic. “In fact, community-wide emissions were 45 percent below the 2011 baseline, which meets the City’s 2030 reduction target.”
However, emissions began to increase again in 2021 and 2022 levels are also expected to be higher. City officials maintain they’re on the right track.
“Ongoing efforts to reduce emissions remain relevant and timely, and new initiatives are ramping up as we move to implement the [Climate Action Plan] to permanently reduce our collective GHG emissions,” the release continues.
Data collected is submitted to CDP, a global non-profit organization that runs a reporting platform used by localities participating in the Global Covenant of Mayors Commitment. Information comes from Dominion Energy, Charlottesville Gas, the Virginia Department of Transportation, both the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority and the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, Amtrak, and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment comes from the May 30, 2023 edition of the program. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.
One thought on “Charlottesville releases latest data on greenhouse gas emissions”