Ames Today

City of Ames recently issued the following announcement.

The Ames City Council approved a carbon emissions reduction target Tuesday (Dec. 21) completing a momentous step of the process to develop the community’s first Climate Action Plan (CAP). The motion to pursue a “Science-based /Fair Share Approach” sets a goal to achieve an 83% city-wide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 2030 over 2016 levels and reaching net-zero by 2050. This target aligns with the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, made up of 97 cities around the world that represents one-twelfth of the world's population and one-quarter of the global economy and focused on addressing climate change through urban action.

Prior to approving the goal, Councilmembers heard a report from the City’s consultant, Sustainability Solutions Group (SSG), which included a summary of public input regarding emissions target-setting. In addition, the Mayor-appointed volunteer Supplemental Input Committee (SIC) provided sector reports, and the Council considered emails, comments forwarded from sustainability events, and the results of an online CAP target reductions survey completed by more than 900 participants.

The immediate next step in the CAP development process is for SSG to create an initial set of low carbon assumptions and actions based on the local context in Ames. These assumptions will form a low-carbon pathway to accomplish the Council’s target. Additional meetings and public input are being planned. More information can be found at www.CityOfAmes.org/Sustainability under the “Climate Action Plan” green button.

At Tuesday’s meeting, all Councilmembers confirmed their commitment to moving forward on developing a customized CAP for Ames. They stressed the importance of community outreach, public feedback, and continued education throughout the process. They also suggested those efforts would remain a priority after a CAP is adopted. The Plan is anticipated to be complete by fall of 2022.

The purpose of a CAP is to provide a community-wide, high-level strategy for decision-making that supports a low carbon future. Assistant City Manager and CAP Project Team Leader Deb Schildroth added that not only will the City of Ames look to make changes to its own operations, but it will also seek to collaborate with other community sectors to help achieve the carbon reduction goal.

“It’s important to remember that this is just the beginning of the process, and community input is critical to developing a relevant, achievable, cost-effective plan that the community can get behind and support,” Schildroth added.

Original source can be found here.