Albert J Carbon III, P. E.

Public Works Director

Inventory of Oakland Park's Communitywide and Government Operations Greenhouse Gas Emissions

In early 2019 the City Commission adopted the Joint Climate Action Plan (CAP) with the City of Wilton Manors.  The CAP set goals and strategies for the City to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and offset climate change.  The CAP set two overarching goals:

1. Mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1% each year through the year 2028.
2. Increase resilience of our communities while minimizing impacts to efficiency and cost-effective business operations.

In late 2019 the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to perform a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory to have a baseline GHG emission amount to measure our goal of 1% annual reductions through 2028.  The City contracted with the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, now known as ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability to perform both a municipal and citywide GHG Emission Baseline Report. 

ICLEI is a global network of more than 1,750 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development.  Active in 100+ countries, ICLEI assists in sustainability policy and local action of low emission, nature-based, equitable, and resilient development. The City of Oakland Park is a member of ICLEI.

The City’s baseline Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory (Report Attached) was completed in April 2020.  The baseline year is 2015 to be consistent with Wilton Manors for the Joint CAP.

Key Findings

Communitywide emissions: The largest contributor is transportation and mobile sources with 51% of emissions. The next largest contributors are residential energy (23%) and commercial energy (20%). Actions to reduce emissions in all of these sectors will be a key part of any future climate action efforts. Industrial energy, water & wastewater, and solid waste were responsible for the remaining (less than 7%) of emissions.

Local government operations emissions: The Buildings and Facilities sector accounts for a vast majority (51%) of these emissions. The next largest contributor is vehicle fleet (36%), followed by employee commute (13%).

The Inventory Results section of this report provides a detailed profile of emissions sources within Oakland Park; information that is key to guiding local greenhouse gas reduction efforts. This data will also provide a baseline which the City will be able to compare future performance and demonstrate progress in reducing emissions.

Staff also asked how our baseline results compare to other similar sized cities.  Comparisons are difficult with so many variables in industry, business and residential mix along with geographic and social economic considerations.  However, ICLEI provided a few comparisons based on population.

Notes:

1.      Year is baseline year or last reported year.

2.      Emission Units are in MTCO₂e (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents)

No financial impact associated with this item.  

Receive Report.