Item A: Sustainability Commission Recommendations

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Eugene’s Community Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory 1. Introduction The community of Eugene has a long history of environmental stewardship. The City organization has historically implemented programs which have had the consequence of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in addition to their intended goal, such as the Transportation Options program, solid waste reduction and recycling or the energy management program. The City of Eugene completed a preliminary inventory of the City’s own operational greenhouse gas emissions in April 2005, with the assistance of graduate students from the U of O Planning, Public Policy and Management Program. The issues surrounding global warming have provided the impetus for broadening the City’s internal efforts to look at the community-wide issue of climate change. In March 2006, the City of Eugene joined over 200 U.S. cities in becoming a member of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, or ICLEI. Membership in ICLEI affords local governments a cost-effective way to build internal expertise for continuing climate change work. This community greenhouse gas inventory was initiated in August 2006 based on experience gained from the City’s of Eugene’s internal inventory and with the training, technical assistance and software available to ICLEI members. The inventory of community-wide greenhouse gas emissions is the first step in developing Eugene’s climate action plan. This inventory provides the basis for completing other elements of a climate action plan, including the selection of an emissions reduction target and development of specific strategies to achieve emissions reductions. When completed, the climate action plan will serve as the foundation for Eugene’s ongoing efforts to reduce emissions, and provide the basis for measuring progress and improving reduction strategies in the future. This inventory presents a picture of Eugene’s current greenhouse gas emissions, and is not intended to introduce the issue of climate change. Some references to general information on global warming and climate change are included at the end of this report. A more complete discussion of the impact of global warming on Eugene, and individual measures to respond to climate change, will be included in the final climate action plan. 2. Executive Summary Eugene’s 2005 community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are estimated at approximately 1.25 million metric tonnes, or 8.6 metric tonnes per capita. (A metric “tonne”, which is approximately 2,200 pounds, is used in this inventory to be consistent with standard practice.) This total is projected to increase to 1.5 million metric tonnes by 2020. This closely matches population growth, and annual per capita emissions are projected to reach 8.8 metric tonnes in 2020. Eugene has a relatively low level of per capita emissions compared to Oregon and the nation. Eugene’s 2005 per capita emissions are one-half of the statewide average per capita emissions, and about two-fifths of the national per capita emissions. Eugene’s relatively low level of GHG emissions, due primarily to our “clean” electrical energy, will influence the 1