Current Status
Ongoing
Activity In 2022
30,050,613 (2020 count) total greenhouse gases (GHGs) metric tonnes of CO2e, from the City of Houston’s community-wide emissions inventory, a 10% decrease from the 2014 baseline.
Beyond 2022
Cut 1,112,985 metric tonnes of CO2e yearly from 2023-2050 to meet the 30-year goal and reach carbon neutrality (net zero carbon dioxide emissions).
What is the Importance of Achieving Carbon Neutrality?
Because of the changing climate, the city must be proactive, lead in adaptation efforts, and be prepared to manage uncertainty. To meet the needs of all Houstonians, the city must make the difficult decisions to tackle our most pressing challenges, such as systemic inequity, dependence on fossil fuels, and urban sprawl. Many cities, including Houston, have committed to tackling climate change and are leading initiatives to meet the goals set forth by the Paris Agreement to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Houston’s CAP identifies the key strategies needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and demonstrates our capacity to reduce the severity of climate hazards in the future. With the projected devastating impacts that rising global temperatures can bring to our region, setting ambitious targets to reduce emissions is crucial. The actions outlined in the CAP are essential to the health and economic vitality of Houston’s future. As strategies are developed and implemented to reduce our carbon footprint, they will provide additional value by saving money and improving the quality of life for all Houstonians. Currently, with the merger of the Resilience and Sustainability Office, the alignment on reporting of GHG emissions is ongoing. The city conducts multiple reports on carbon emissions at the state, national and global scale.
The 33,414,134 tCO2e is the baseline (2014) emissions. At the time the KPI was issued, we were still working with GCoM/C40 to address feedback on the inventory. The 2020 number is: 30,050,613 tCO2e Total greenhouse gasses (GHGs) from the City of Houston’s community-wide emissions inventory; carbon neutrality refers to reaching net zero carbon dioxide emissions.
Based on last year’s report, 1,112,985 metric tonnes of CO2e needs to be cut annually from 2023-2050 Total greenhouse gasses (GHGs) from the City of Houston’s community-wide emissions inventory; carbon neutrality refers to reaching net zero carbon dioxide emissions.
Resources
- 2022 Data Source
- COH Sustainability Office