Climate Action Plan
The City’s Climate Action Plan was updated in 2018. Per our commitment to the Global Covenant of Mayors, the Climate Action Plan describes how the City will deliver on its commitment to reduce emissions across the entire City to be carbon neutral by 2050.
The Climate Action Plan is based on the 2012 Community-wide GHG inventory. The Community-wide GHG inventory reflects the most current methods, protocols and data sources available for measuring emissions in our community at the time the inventory was completed in 2016. Using the GHG inventory and future projections for GHG emissions, the CAP identifies specific strategies and actions that are necessary for the City to achieve deep carbon reductions in the buildings, transportation, and waste sectors.
Buildings
Transportation
- Reducing miles driven, especially single occupancy vehicle trips
- Increase use of sustainable modes of transportation
- Low and zero carbon mobility solutions
Waste
- Increase recycling and composting rates
- Reduce waste and increase reuse
- Improve materials management
The strategies and actions summarized above do not fully achieve the City’s goal to be carbon neutral. The Climate Action Plan will continuously evolve to reflect the best available knowledge about emissions sources and strategies to eliminate them. Ongoing monitoring and engagement in policy discussions will allow the City to adapt its Climate Action Plan over time to pursue new solutions and technologies that further reduce emissions as they become available.
The City is developing a web-based Sustainability Dashboard to allow the public to visualize key indicators that demonstrate progress toward climate goals.
The Climate Action Plan builds upon Cambridge's long history of working to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To view the City's previous plans and goals related to emissions, click here.