Emissions Reduction Plan
Mayor updates targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the city
In October 2022, Mayor Greg Fischer signed an Executive Order setting new targets for cutting the city's greenhouse gas emissions. The order “builds on our growing momentum to deliver a healthier environment for today and tomorrow.”
The Mayor noted that Louisville Metro Government’s Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability published a Louisville Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) in 2020 based on data from the 2016 Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory.
“That plan was designed to achieve an 80% reduction in the city’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. But since creating it, it’s become clear that more ambitious targets are necessary to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change,” the Mayor said. “That’s what this Executive Order does.”
The Executive Order formally commits Louisville to the goal of achieving net zero GHG emissions communitywide by 2040 – a goal that requires only a few updates to the 2020 ERP, including carbon sequestration strategies to offset emissions that cannot be avoided.
Louisville's Emissions Reduction Plan
The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) was created to set Louisville on a path to achieve its 80% reduction target. The strategies included in the plan were derived from best practices demonstrated by peer cities and reflect our best understanding of where current trends will take us in the years ahead. As a forward-looking document, the ERP is intended to be flexible in nature as new and improved technologies, regulatory changes, and our connection with the global economy continue to drive change in our community.
Louisville Metro also recognizes that since its 80% reduction target was set, recent scientific reports have expressed the need for more urgent and accelerated action to avoid irreversible impacts of climate change (see 2018 IPCC Special Report on Global Warming). In response, we will pursue more aggressive actions that propel Louisville beyond the 80% reduction target and improve the health and quality of life of residents for generations to come.
View GHG Emissions Reduction Plan
To see the comments received during the Public Comment Review Period, click here.
