Chapter 1.1
Climate Change

Subchapter Introduction

By Chris Duerksen and Jonathan Rosenbloom

Climate change is having an impact on local governments, their economies and environments, and the health and welfare of their citizens. As global temperatures continue to rise, we can expect local communities, citizens, and infrastructure to be tested and strained by uncertain and intense disturbances, such as heat waves, sea level rise, floods, ocean acidification, and droughts.

Climate change is predominantly caused by human-based emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and others. GHGs trap and re-radiate heat to Earth’s surface.[1] The bulk of GHGs emitted in the United States stem from urban areas and are associated with fossil fuel use for generation of electricity (30%), transportation (26%), industrial (21%), commercial and residential (12%), and agriculture (9%).[2]

Local governments are in a unique position to address the challenge of global climate change. This subchapter is designed to provide local governments with diverse approaches to reduce GHGs and/or increase natural features that absorb GHGs, such as trees and wetlands, to lower overall atmospheric levels of GHGs. This subchapter focuses on actions that are within local governments’ land use and development authority.

Critical Planning

In addressing climate change, local governments can take a number of initial or concurrent planning steps that support the specific actions described in the chart below. Some of those steps include:

1. Performing a GHG emission inventory. An inventory is helpful as it highlights which GHGs and from which sources cities might consider regulating.[3] Because consumption-based inventories provide more information, they are more helpful than non-consumption-based inventories.
2. Including overall mitigation goals in comprehensive plans.[4] Drafting comprehensive plans to ensure that land use decisions are consistent with reducing fossil fuel usage, increasing energy efficiency, and reducing consumption.[5]
3. Requiring the consideration of alternative fuels, lower emissions, and less consumption when making decisions on infrastructure, such as transportation plans.[6]
4. Drafting and implementing an overall climate action plan to address GHG reductions in all areas, such as operations, administration, and others outside of zoning and building codes.[7]
5. Producing an overall energy use reduction plan.
6. Joining municipal collaborations addressing climate change, such as ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, 100 Resilient Cities, and Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

The Role of Land Use Regulations in Controlling Greenhouse Gases

Local development plays an important role in determining how much GHG is emitted. Some of the core areas where land use and development laws are relevant to GHGs and that are addressed in this subchapter are: Development patterns; Reduce consumption during the construction and use of development; Reduce energy consumption; Enhance carbon sinks; Promote alternative energy; Address agricultural practices; Add water conservation plan; and Support multiple transit options.

[1] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Global Warming of 1.5 C (2018), https://perma.cc/2UBR-SAPZ; U.S. Global Change Research Program, Fourth National Climate Assessment (2018), https://perma.cc/7GFG-PE9V.

[2] US Environmental Protection Agency, Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, https://perma.cc/VR4C-J5QT (last visited Aug. 10, 2017).

[3] Examples of consumption-based inventories can be found at Portland, Kings County, SF. Non-consumption-based inventories can be found at N.Y.C.  Mayor’s Office of Sustainability & Cventure, LLC., Inventory of New York City Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Dep’t of Energy & Env’t, Gov’t of D.C., The District of Columbia Greenhouse Gas Inventory Update 2012-2013; Minneapolis City Coordinator Sustainability Office, Minneapolis Climate Action Plan, A Roadmap to Reducing Citywide Greenhouse Gas Emissions, (June 28, 2013); City of Chicago 2015 Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Preliminary Analysis, AECOM (Jan. 2017).

[4] Broward County, Comprehensive Plan, Ordinance No. 2015-54, at Objective 19.1 (2015) (establishing mitigation reductions of “17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 82% below 2010 levels by 2050”).

[5] Id.

[6] Id.

[7] The City of Boston, Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Greenovate Boston, 2014 Climate Action Plan Update; The City of San Diego, Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer, Climate Action Plan (Dec. 2015).