Climate and Energy Action Plan (CEAP)

City of Ashland Climate and Energy Action Plan Open HouseStation 1Ashland’s Future Greenhouse Gas EmissionsBusiness as usual scenario Assuming that Ashland’s population grows about 0.5% per year and anticipated state and federal energy policies are enacted, Ashland’s “business as usual” future emissions would look something like this: 050,000100,000150,000200,000250,000300,000350,000400,000 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, METRIC TONSModeled projections Past data Sector-based emissions Consumption-based emissions What if? If Ashland were on the trajectory to cut its emissions from buildings, transportation, and waste disposal in half by 2050, it would equate to an average annual emission reduction of about 0.5% per year starting from 2016.2015 Baseline: 342,480 MTCO 2e 2015-2050 Change: 13% increase in total emissions 6% increase in sector-based emissions 2050 Business-as-usual Projection: 385,207 MTCO2e What is Carbon-Neutral? 050,000100,000150,000200,000250,000300,000350,000 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, METRIC TONS Sector-based emissions Consumption-based emissionsBusiness-as-usual Remaining reductions from offsets 2050Greenhouse Gas Emissions Carbon neutral 2050Potential reductions from Ashland’s actionsDoes that mean no emissions are emitted at all? Not exactly. Carbon-neutral does not mean no emissions, it means no net emissions. Organizations can compensate for remaining emissions by purchasing carbon offsets, which represent emission reductions elsewhere. Is net zero really possible? Technically yes, but it would require drastic action in the energy, transportation, and waste sectors. For example, Melbourne, Australia recently made its City operations carbon-neutral through a combination of emissions reduction actions and purchasing of offsets. The City is now working toward making the entire community carbon-neutral. For consumption-related emissions, reaching carbon neutrality is difficult. This difficulty stems from the fact that local governments have little ability to affect emissions associated with the production of food and goods.To be “carbon-neutral” means that the net output of greenhouse gas emissions is zero. What might carbon-neutral look like for Ashland? Trends To Date 2011 Emissions: 364,431 MTCO 2e 2011-2015 Change:* 6% decrease in total emissions 10% decrease in sector-based emissions 2015 Emissions 342,480 MTCO2e *Note: These reductions are largely due to increased renewable energy on the regional electricity grid, decreased use of electricity in the residential sector, and decreased natural gas use due to warmer winters.