More than 90% of Longmont’s sustainability and climate action recommendations are on track for implementation, staff said during an annual report Tuesday.
Sustainability Program Manager Lisa Knoblauch gave the update to Longmont City Council detailing progress made toward strategies and targets identified in the 2020 Sustainability Plan and Climate Action Recommendations Report.
Longmont has reduced emissions by 16% since adopting the city’s sustainability plan in 2016. The city currently has a goal of reducing 2016-level emissions 66% by 2030 and 69% by 2050.
The 2021 greenhouse gas emissions inventory places electricity as the largest contributor at 35.8%, followed by equity share of the Platte River Power Authority and natural gas.
Knoblauch emphasized a need to continue to improve energy efficiency, with an emphasis on making it equitable for lower income households — something that has been difficult due to supply chain constraints. She also highlighted participation and staffing constraints as a challenge.
Knoblauch noted Longmont’s “A” grade from the Carbon Disclosure Project in their second year of participating, of which only two cities in Colorado received that grade including Longmont. Over 1,000 cities worldwide participate in the project.
Councilmember Tim Waters raised his concerns that if the city continues reducing emissions at the rate it has since 2016, it will not be on track to meet the 2030 goal. Knoblauch explained that the hope is that the work of the coming years will help to accelerate the emission reductions.
“That drop really comes from assuming we will figure out those 100% goals,” she said.
There was also discussion about bringing the 2050 goal down to net zero, meaning that the city would work to reduce emissions as much as possible and then offset the remaining in some other way. Council gave direction to staff to bring some options back about what it would entail to meet such an ambitious goal.
