Climate and Energy Action Plan (CEAP)

Ashland GHG Inventory, 2011 - 2015 5 1. INTRODUCTION The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body that regularly convenes climate scientists, has identified human activity as the primary cause of the climate change that has occurred over the past few decades and quickened in recent years. Consensus statements from the IPCC suggest that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) must be reduced significantly – perhaps more than 50% globally, and by 80% in wealthier nations that are the largest emitters – by mid-century in order to avoid the worst potential climate impacts on human economies and societies that have been projected. The common international goal often referenced, to mitigate the worst climate impacts, is to limit average global average temperature increases to no more than 2°C relative to temperatures at the start of the industrial revolution. As of 2015 – we’ve already passed the halfway point – average temperatures have increased by 1°C since the industrial revolution. It’s with this understanding and urgency that the City of Ashland has undertaken its first-ever suite of greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories. A GHG inventory quantifies the GHG emissions associated with a specific boundary – such as operational control within and organization or the geographic boundary of a community – for a specific period of time. By conducting inventories at regular intervals, GHG inventories can be used to understand trends and manage emissions from specific emissions sources and activities. The results of the GHG inventories will be used to support development of Ashland’s Community Climate and Energy Action Plan and provides the foundation for a long-term GHG emissions tracking and management system. Project Description Good Company was contracted by the City of Ashland, Oregon to assist the City staff in completion of a suite of three (3) annual greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories for the period of 2011 through 2015. The boundaries of these inventories include the Ashland Community; City Government Operations; and Ashland’s Municipal Electric Utility’s owned and contracted electricity supply. This work began in September 2015 and concluded in February of 2016. Structure of This Report Following this Introduction, Section 2 details the results of Ashland’s Community GHG Inventory; and Section 3 focused on the detailed results of the City’s Government Operational Inventory. In addition to the primary Sections of the report, there are 3 Appendices. Appendix A discusses the detailed results of Ashland’s Municipal Electric Utility’s Supply Portfolio GHG Inventory. Appendix B and C provide additional details on data, emissions factors and methodology used in the Community, City Operations, and Electric Utility Portfolio GHG Inventories. In addition to these Appendix B and C, there is an Audit Trail for each type of inventory, for each year, which documents in detail the data, calculations, and methodology.