"Chicago’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2000", copyright CNT, 2010.

When CNT set out to inventory Chicago’s greenhouse gas emissions, our goal was to give the Mayor’s Task Force on Climate Change the information it needed to better understand where Chicago’s emissions come from and to establish a baseline for comparison in future years. In addition to that, we created a portfolio of emissions reductions measures to better understand the scale and scope of actions that needed to be taken to meet the city’s emissions reduction targets.

Beyond the City-commissioned research, our broader goal is to make our climate change analysis transparent and available for cities around the world to take action on reducing their impact on climate change. Soon this research will be available in the Journal of Great Lakes Research and it is our belief that the valuable information in this peer-reviewed, scientific journal can serve as a useful tool for cities to use a model.

The forthcoming article, “Greenhouse gas emissions in Chicago: Emissions inventories and reduction strategies for Chicago and its metropolitan region”, summarizes the research methods and results CNT used to develop Chicago’s greenhouse gas inventory for the Chicago Climate Action Plan. The paper also describes the portfolio of mitigation strategies CNT investigated for reducing Chicago’s greenhouse gas emissions and meeting its target of emissions 25% below 1990 levels by 2020.

Our analysis of climate change mitigation strategies was designed to address two key questions for Chicago:

1. What are the most promising strategies for substantially reducing Chicago’s greenhouse gas emissions?
2. What scale of deployment of these strategies is necessary to achieve the goal of 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2020?

CNT answered these questions by researching and developing a portfolio of 33 emissions reduction strategies tailored to Chicago. The Chicago Climate Task Force used this portfolio to select the final mitigation strategies and implementation scale for the Chicago Climate Action Plan.

With the subsequent publication of the Chicago Climate Action Plan and the ongoing efforts of the City of Chicago and many others to implement real-world emissions reductions, the details of the projects and programs has changed to adapt to the realities of program execution. Moreover, the exact greenhouse gas reduction impact of any program will depend on hundreds of small details—from participation rates to weather.

Accordingly, CNT encourages cities to use this research into the potential greenhouse gas reduction benefits of programs as a guide to compare programs and a reference as to the scale of impact, but our research findings are not the same as measured results from a specific program.

As useful as it is to estimate potential program impacts in the planning phase, nothing compares to strong program evaluation that tracks real-world results on the ground. In the end, an inventory of all emissions generated by a community will be the real measure of whether a city is meeting its emissions reduction goal. CNT looks forward to continuing to assist cities as they take climate action to help them achieve real emissions reductions that create benefits for the residents and businesses in their communities.

CNT’s version of McGraw, J., et al., “Greenhouse gas emissions in Chicago: Emissions inventories and reduction strategies for Chicago and its metropolitan region”, J Great Lakes Res (2009), doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2009.11.010, is available from our website here or by purchasing the published copy from the Journal of Great Lakes here.

CNT has been directly working on climate change issues for a decade and a half and indirectly working to address the problems that impact climate for our entire 31-year history as an organization. Despite recent setbacks, climate action is more on track today that it has been at any time since the Kyoto Protocol was signed (and maybe even before then, since the U.S. never ratified Kyoto).

Why such climate optimism despite the doom and gloom in the news? Many positive advancements are occurring that are not necessarily making the headlines. These examples are paving the way to not only a more definitive climate policy but to a broader awareness to the behavior changes we must take to reduce our greenhouse gas impact.

EPA Reporting Rule
The U.S. EPA issued a regulation in October that requires facilities that emit 25,000 tons carbon dioxide equivalent or more per year to report their 2010 emissions by April 2011. They expect that this will result in 10,000 reporting facilities covering 85 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Reporting emissions isn’t the same thing as reducing them, but mandatory reporting helps us better understand where our emissions are coming from, laying the groundwork for future emissions reductions.

CNT submitted comments during the drafting process for this rule that would make it even more rigorous. We have called for this kind of required reporting for quite some time, and are pleased to see it take shape. Moreover, the EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act is seen as a backstop to allow climate action even if the congress does not pass a bill. EPA has not taken that step yet—this rule is just for reporting, not for capping emissions, but that option is still on the table.

Energy Efficiency Block Grant
The vast majority of our greenhouse gas emissions result from our use of fossil fuels, so improving our efficiency not only saves us money, conserves resources, but it will cut our emissions significantly. Therefore it is great news that funds are now being issued to cities under Energy Efficiency Block Grant as part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Over 40 municipalities in Illinois have been awarded funding under this program to-date. Each participating government authority must develop an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy and CNT is helping communities in the Chicago region through our Municipal Energy Profile Program which is providing data on energy use and emissions for 283 municipalities in the region.

Executive Order
In October, the White House issued an Executive Order requiring all federal agencies to begin to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. There is a long history of environmental action through executive order, and as the federal government is a major purchaser of goods and services, the changes made have the potential to ripple through the economy. Executive Orders were one of the key strategies CNT analyzed in our work to help develop the Presidential Climate Action Plan.

The “Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance” Executive Order will require each federal agency to appoint a Senior Sustainability Officer, calculate the greenhouse gas emissions inventory of the agency, set reduction targets for both direct and indirect emissions, and report annually on progress. The Executive Order addresses sustainability of federal operations broadly, including location efficiency, fleets, waste reduction, green buildings, energy efficient procurement, stormwater, and electronics disposal.

California Assembly Bill 32: Global Warming Solutions Act
As part of its broad sweeping climate change laws, California is leading the way in figuring out the nuts and bolts of creating greenhouse gas reductions. For example, its mandatory greenhouse gas reporting scheme recently released the emissions reports of over 500 facilities in the state, creating a brand new knowledge base for targeting emission reduction actions.

These are just a handful of the many activities that are taking place today that would need to happen under a cap and trade bill anyway. So while CNT supports strong legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there is no time to waste in reducing the harm we are doing to our climate and CNT will continue to work on solutions reduce emissions today and into the future.

This report, which documents the Plan’s process up until its public release on September 19, 2008, summarizes key lessons learned and provides a timeline and observations about each step. The City of Chicago benefited from the work of other cities as it created the Chicago Climate Action Plan. Because of funding from the Clinton Climate Initiative, Chicago was able to document the three phases—research, planning, and implementation—of the Chicago Climate Action Plan process. The report is being co-released by the Global Philanthropy Partnership, the City of Chicago, and ICLEI.

As the City of Chicago reflects on the first year of the plan’s implementation, Julia believes that “Chicago has benefited from its action plan and has valuable lessons to share, data that is applicable to many other cities, and tools for prioritizing strategies that I hope other cities can adapt.”

The Chicago Climate Action Plan outlines five strategies, which are broken into 26 actions for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and nine actions to prepare for climate change. CNT was the lead researcher for the mitigation strategies for the Plan. Learn more about CNT’s research.

The bill calls for an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, along with programs to encourage renewable energy production. This landmark legislation is the first to focus on comprehensive and direct solutions to climate change. The bill successfully targets climate change by focusing on short-term solutions like provisions for creating energy-efficient buildings—solutions that can reduce energy usage and save Americans money.

Additionally, key language from the G.R.E.E.N. Act will be included into the final version of the bill. “The GREEN Act measures will help revitalize our economy by making energy efficiency practices more affordable, accessible and achievable by consumers, businesses and government entities,” said U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO).

CNT is excited that Location Efficient Mortgages (LEMs) will be included in this legislation as a tool at integrating housing and transportation savings for first-time home buyers. CNT co-developed LEMs in 1995 with the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Surface Transportation Policy Project to help people become homeowners in location efficient communities. When alternative transportation options are available in a community, like walking, biking and public transit, this frees up more money for housing. LEM lenders account for the savings as additional income to go toward the purchase of a home.

By targeting both location and energy efficiency, the federal climate bill contains the ‘meat’ necessary to tackle climate change comprehensively. And the results should benefit the pockets of working families and our natural resources.

CNT looked at emissions of carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas, stemming from household vehicle travel in 55 metropolitan areas across the U.S. When measured on a per household basis, it found that the transportation-related emissions of people living in cities and compact neighborhoods can be nearly 70% less than those living in suburbs. See how this compares in your region at our newly redesigned Housing + Transportation Affordability Index site.

Read the full Press Release or try out the new site.

The announcement started with a briefing by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), who stated that the program would focus on corridors of 100 to 600 miles, where intermodal connections could be the ’sweet spot’. When Bernstein asked them to expand on that point they explained that the program offers an opportunity to support the President’s priorities on transit and livable communities in an urban policy context, reducing greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions, and saving scarce airport space for longer distance travel.

The FRA report on HSR and the announcement by President Obama cite the 2006 report by CNT and the Center for Clean Air Policy, “High Speed Rail and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the U.S.”, where we calculate a total emissions savings of 6 billion pounds of CO₂/year if all HSR projects are built.

Secretary Ray LaHood likened the program to the transcontinental railroad program in the 19th century, saying that the common sense was that it could not be done in their lifetime but it got built in 7 years – when the Golden Spike was driven the telegrapher simply sent out one word, “Done”.

President Obama expanded on the vision, saying that the plan is intended to be the next level after the Interstate highway program, pointing out that second generation systems are already in place around the world, like Tokyo and Osaka, where the system will run at speeds over 300 mph, and Spain, where their new HSR corridor system has a higher mode share than aviation.

More information:

• High Speed Rail Strategic Plan and High Speed Rail Corridor Map, available on the Federal Highway Adminstration’s web site.
• U.S. Department of Transportation Press Release
• Lynn Sweet’s, of the Chicago Sun-Times coverage
• ABC News coverage

Background of CNT’s work:

Scott co-founded the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership (STPP) in 1990, a national coalition which shifted federal policy toward greater local control, and currently serves as Chairman. Scott served on the Steering Committee of the Presidential Climate Action Project, bringing CNT’s research and expertise in transportation, land use, and climate change to the plan’s transportation agenda.

In 2006, CNT partnered with the Center for Clean Air Policy to release a study of the feasibility of high-speed rail service between major urban transit corridors in the United States, concluding that a full network of high-speed trains could save as much as 6 billion pounds of Carbon Dioxide per year. Download “High Speed Rail and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the U.S.” here.

(Photo by Scott Bernstein)

Environment Illinois presented a map highlighting locations of clean energy industries that could benefit from the $150 billion over 10 years that the proposed budget would invest nationally in renewable energy such as wind and solar. The budget sets the stage for a new energy plan for America that caps global warming pollution and drives the transformation to a clean energy economy. The report illustrated the budget benefits for Illinois.

Rep. Schakowsky said that there is “change in direction” for clean energy and addressing global warming in Washington. Jan serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee which is holding hearings on the budget mark-ups during the month of May. “We are working quickly – the timeline is now and we hope to have a bill by May recess. We are rolling up our selves and working on this environmental crisis that affects our planet. We need all hands on deck for the environment.”

President Obama’s budget builds on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), to invest in a green economy that will create green jobs, protect the environment and stop global warming. In her remarks, Tholin pointed out that, “the President’s budget not only takes on the traditional sources of pollution and global warming gases, it starts to reward the solutions.”

Read the full press release and report, “Vision 2010: President Obama’s Budget, Clean Energy, & the Environment”.

The issues were selected by IEC member organizations based on their impact on the health of Illinois citizens and the state’s natural heritage and the ability of Illinois decision-makers to have an immediate effect on them. CNT offered its expertise in the areas of green infrastructure, energy efficiency, climate change and car sharing.

On March 3, CNT Senior Policy Associate Hal Sprague took part in a press conference to discuss stormwater management and the importance of utilizing green infrastructure techniques to manage rain drops where they fall, instead of building ever larger and more expensive pipe and reservoir systems to handle storm water after it leaves the land. Download and read his full testimony. (.pdf)

In conjunction with its mention in the Illinois Environmental Council’s Annual Briefing Book, CNT has submitted a proposed bill to the General Assembly, the “Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act”.

Since climate change touches every aspect of our city and all of CNT’s program areas, the project involved over 20 CNT staff members. We were excited to be able to provide a solid foundation of data and analysis for Chicago’s Climate Action Plan and look forward to working to transform it from a plan to action. The emissions reduction strategies we have helped develop are truly sustainable solutions that can lower the cost of living and doing business in Chicago while making this a better city to live and work in.

CNT developed a greenhouse gas inventory for Chicago in 2000 and 2005, which allowed us to understand better where Chicago’s emissions come from. Chicago emitted a total of 34.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) in 2000, which is 12 tons per person. We found that 70% of those emissions are from energy use, including electricity and natural gas consumption. Transportation was the second largest source of emissions, accounting for 21% in 2000. The remaining emissions come from waste, wastewater, non-energy emissions from industrial processes, and the use of greenhouse gases in products, such as air conditioners.

We also projected Chicago’s emissions out to 2020 and 2050. If Chicago takes no action to address its climate impact, its emissions could grow to 39.3 MMTCO2e in 2020. We worked with the Task Force to help set a goal of reducing emissions to 24.2 MMTCO2e in 2020 – an amount that is 25% below 1990 levels and 15.1 MMTCO2e below the ‘business as usual’ scenario.

To meet this reduction target will require action in every sector of Chicago, including residents, businesses, institutions, and government. CNT worked with the City to solicit emissions reduction strategies from these stakeholders. We received hundreds of suggestions and boiled them down into a portfolio of feasible, effective, and sustainable strategies for Chicago. We then analyzed 33 strategies both quantitatively and qualitatively to determine emission reduction potentials, the nature and scale of the programs and policies necessary, similar current activities underway in Chicago and the region that could be built on, examples of successful programs from other areas, and implementation opportunities and barriers. These strategies evolved to form the basis of the City’s Climate Action Plan.

Some of the strategies are things we each can do individually, such as walking and taking transit. Many others are programs and investments that we will have to work together to accomplish, such as stabilizing public transit funding and building high speed rail. We are already working to implement some of the strategies, such as developing programs to help building owners more easily retrofit their buildings to use less energy and water and save on utility bills. The strategies will require hard work and innovation, but can generate measurable benefits for Chicago in terms of greenhouse gas reductions, economic opportunity and more.

It is our intention to make our work available to others to serve as a model for the type of comprehensive emission reduction plan cities can undertake. Our methods and results are overviewed in the Summary Report and in the full 267 page report. The City’s Climate Action Plan can be found at www.chicagoclimateaction.org.

Americans report increasing levels of awareness of each of the Presidential candidate’s climate change/global warming policies. According to the poll, 35% of respondents believe that Senator Obama offers the strongest policy on climate change. Half as many respondents (17%) believe that McCain offers a stronger climate change policy.

The poll also found that respondents from the West coast remain the most likely to ascribe a higher level of importance to the urgency question, women are more likely to believe it is important that the next President takes strong action to address climate change, and younger voters from Generations Y and X are particularly likely to believe that strong action is extremely or very important.

In December, PCAP developed the Presidential Climate Action Plan, framing the agenda for the first 100 days of the next Administration. The plan was developed by a broad group of leaders from around the nation, and is the most comprehensive and detailed plan for national climate action presented to the presidential candidates and the American people. CNT’s research and expertise in transportation, land use, and climate change formed the basis of the plan’s transportation agenda. Additionally, CNT President Scott Bernstein serves on the Steering Committee of the Presidential Climate Action Project, bringing CNT’s deep understanding of sustainable, measurable, place-based solutions with net economic benefits to this monumental project.

More information on the Presidential Climate Action Project here.

Read the full press release on the new national poll.