Mayor Greg Fischer signed an Executive Order today that sets new targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the city and “builds on our growing momentum to deliver a healthier environment for today and tomorrow.”
The Mayor noted today that in 2020, Louisville Metro Government (LMG)’s Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability published a Louisville Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) 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 new targets are based on more recent data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which showed that GHG emissions must be halved by 2030 and reach net zero by mid-century or sooner to keep global warming below 1.5°C and avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
In line with this science-based target and global efforts, Louisville, along with more than 1000 cities in the world, became a signatory of the Cities Race to Zero in 2021, pledging to reach net-zero emissions in the 2040s or sooner.
The Executive Order signed today formally commits Louisville to the goal of achieving net zero GHG emissions community-wide 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.
“While some may view this as a daunting task, our city is already working toward these goals on many fronts,” said the Mayor. “We will build on strategies in our Emissions Reduction Plan, such as making buildings and industry more energy efficient and getting solar on more homes. Historic federal legislation like the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act will further accelerate our work by providing additional consumer tax credits, rebates, grants, and other incentives to help residents and businesses access technologies that will save money and reduce emissions.”
Just last week, the city announced $9.1 million in private energy efficiency loans to back millions of dollars in loans to help local businesses become greener through the city’s Energy Project Assessment District Program.
Earlier this year, the city launched the Solar Over Louisville campaign to encourage residents to invest in solar power and move the city closer to a goal of 100% clean energy community-wide by 2040. That program, which closed last week, will result in installation of solar panels on nearly 100 homes, including a handful of low-income homes through a Solar Grant Program.
The Mayor noted that Louisville has also begun working with the National Energy Renewable Laboratory to help chart a course for meeting its 2030 goal. Louisville Metro is also exploring the possibility of creating a city-owned utility that would use renewable energy to power city buildings.
Louisville was also one of 24 communities selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for the Communities LEAP pilot program that will help integrate energy efficiency and clean energy into affordable housing, to deliver cost savings for the city’s most energy-burdened residents.
Mayor Fischer has been focused on sustainability since the start of his term, when he commissioned the city’s first-ever sustainability plan, Sustain Louisville, as a framework to shape progress toward the city’s climate goals and later melded those goals into the city’s long-range planning.
In 2020, Metro Council passed a resolution, setting the goals of 100% renewable electricity for Metro operations by 2030, 100% clean energy for Metro operations by 2035, and 100% clean energy community-wide by 2040.
In 2021 alone, Louisville Metro reduced its energy consumption by 10%, saving over $1.2 million and avoiding 10,000 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions and signed an executive order to prioritize electric vehicles in Metro’s fleet. Louisville recently received the LEED Silver certification for its sustainability work and has an A List ranking with the global environmental nonprofit CDP.
For more information about the city’s clean energy and sustainability efforts, visit the city’s Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability’s website at
https://louisvilleky.gov/sustainability.
