People gathered at the Innovation Barn near Plaza Midwood late last month to hear Charlotte’s Sustainability Office present proposed updates to the Strategic Energy Action Plan. The city is surveying community members through December to raise awareness about the city’s climate and energy goals.
The survey also provides space for residents to share their energy, climate and environmental challenges. During the event, community members could write down feedback or ask questions on several large notepads placed around the room. One woman wrote that she would like to know if there were groups for other sustainability-minded people in her neighborhood.
Scientists have predicted that if humans limit global warming to under 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, we can avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Global temperatures have already risen 2.11 degrees Fahrenheit. Carbon emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels are the primary culprit for rising temperatures.
The City of Charlotte adopted its clean energy plan in 2018. The city is updating its plan to reach carbon neutrality in its fleet and facilities by 2030 — a goal it has previously struggled with.
Charlotte estimated its communitywide carbon pollution for 2023, in the city's first greenhouse gas inventory in four years. However, changes in methodology make direct comparisons between years difficult. At first glance, waste emissions appear to have nearly tripled since 2019; however, the city only started to include commercial waste data in its inventory during this most recent update.
Overall, carbon pollution has gone down roughly 15%, based on preliminary data. Since 2019, more government buildings have added solar energy, COVID disrupted travel patterns and left more people working remotely.
The updated plan will also include a climate risk assessment to identify threats Charlotte residents might face as the planet warms. Those could include higher energy bills as hotter summers demand more cooling. Or it might mean a more dangerous commute for bus riders who don’t have sheltered stops.
Orchid Chamblee said the presentation helped connect rising temperatures to some of the weather-related disasters that happened this year — even the more mundane ones, like intense summer storms and downpours.
“A tree fell on my car a couple months ago,” Chamblee said. “It was one of those storms that was only like 20 minutes, but it affected my whole week.”
The Sustainability Office will host a virtual meeting on Dec. 17 starting at 6 p.m. Registration available through the SEAP newsletter.
City Council will likely vote on the updates next March.
