Transcript US General Accountability Office Crude Oil: Uncertainty about future

BEYOND HYBRIDS AND LIGHT
BULBS: BEST PRACTICES FOR
CLIMATE CHANGE IN
ALACHUA COUNTY
BUILDING A RESOURCE EFFICIENT AND RESILIENT COMMUNITY
LAND USE, ENERGY POLICY AND TRANSPORTATION
June 24, 2008
Summary

Taking stock
 Where
we are today?
 Where do we want to be?
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Beyond low-hanging fruit, best policies and advice
 Land
Use
 Energy Policy
 Transportation
Florida –
Ground Zero
Potential capital
losses
William D. Nordhaus. 2006. The Economics of Hurricanes in the United
States. NBER 12813, 47pp.
Miami-Dade County:
Nonlinear rise of 3 to 5 ft by
2100.
Alachua County
Charter date:
1987
Population :
240,764
Area (sq/miles):
961
County Seat:
Gainesville
Joined ICLEI
CCP: 1999
Alachua County Climate Change
Leadership
 Green Infrastructure
Investment Program
 Comprehensive
 Alachua
Plan
County
Forever
 Land Development
Regulations
Collaboration
 Citizen Advisory
Boards
 Intergovernmental
Partnerships
 Intragovernmental
Organization
Inventory of Emissions

1999 County joins ICLEI Cities for Climate
Protection – four of five stars by 2007
Developed greenhouse gas inventory for Alachua County
Establish an emissions target: 20% reduction from 1990
levels by 2010.
Developed and obtained approval for Local Action Plan
Implemented policies and measures
Monitor and verify results (pending star)
Alachua County Carbon Liability
Total Tons of CO2 Produced
1990 base
year est to be
2.4 M Tons
CO2e
6,096,676
6,000,000
5,509,096
5,026,676
5,000,000
With No Reduction Business as Usual
assume 13.22 Tons CO2/person/Yr
4,463,986
Tons of CO2
Linear
projection of
total tons of
carbon
emissions based
on 2001 GHG
inventory.
7,000,000
4,000,000
With No Reduction Business as Usual
assume 13.22 Tons CO2/person/Yr + 3%
incr per year
3,000,000
1% Reduction or 50% by 2040 matches
2001 GHG Goal
2,881,825
1.6% Reduction or 80% by 2040
2,000,000
2,401,082
2,160,974
1,920,866
2,016,909
1,680,758
1,440,650
1,632,736
1,248,563
1,000,000
1,200,542
864,390
480,217
0
1,990
2,000
2010
2020
2030
2040
Community-wide Emissions by Source
1998 Alachua
County
Community
Greenhouse
Gas Emission
Inventory by
Source
Total
Equivalent
CO2 Emitted:
2.8 M Tons
Source: 2001 Alachua County GHG Inventory
Community-wide Emissions by Segment
1998 Alachua
County
Community
Greenhouse
Gas Emission
Inventory by
Community
Segment
Total
Equivalent
CO2 Emitted:
2.8 M Tons
Source: 2001 Alachua County GHG Inventory
County Government Emissions
1998
Greenhouse
Gas Emissions
from Alachua
County
Government
Operations by
Source
Total
Equivalent
CO2 Emitted:
17,525 Tons
Source: 2001 Alachua County GHG Inventory
Emissions for
“business-asusual”
Mitigation - Can we do it?
80% cut in
emissions by
2060
Emissions
target
We need at
least 7 wedges
(More than 7?)
Land Management
(Green Infrastructure)
William Chameides
Land Use – Green Infrastructure
2000 Alachua County Forever land conservation program approved
Beyond the low hanging fruit
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2002 Integrate ICLEI emissions target of 20%
reduction from 1990 levels by 2010 into the
Comprehensive Plan
2006 County updates land use policies to promote
infill development and green infrastructure
2008 Alachua County Forever protects 12,000
acres locking up 40,000 tons CO2 per year.
2008 NACo Achievement Award; Best in Category
Green Infrastructure Investment Program
Alachua County Green Infrastructure
from Land Development Projects
Approved 69 site plans, 2,038 acres*:
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877 acres of green infrastructure set-aside (43%)
940 acres of pervious developed areas
221 acres (11%) of impervious area
67% tree canopy retained
540 acres of conservation areas (89% protected)
 321 acres of strategic ecosystems
 151 acres of listed species habitat
 185 acres of wetlands preserved
 < 1/20th acre of wetlands impacted
* Results from March 2006 – April 2008
Energy Policy
2003 New County Court House built to LEED Silver standard
Beyond the low hanging fruit
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2002 Energy Conservation for County Facilities
added to Comprehensive Plan
2003 Energy Conservation and Resource Reduction
Program to conserve and cut energy usage by 1/3
2003 Landfill gas to energy project 4,179 tons CO2
Offset per year and 57,120 tons CO2e for methane
2003 New County Court House built to LEED Silver
standard.
2005 electronic ballasts and CFLs saves $330k and
approximately 98 tons of CO2; Energy performance
contracting saved $118k
Transportation
Hybrids – First Toyota Prius purchased 2000
Beyond the low hanging fruit
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2001 County bus passes
for employees
As of 2007 Gainesville
RTS 8.9 million passenger
trips offsetting 6,150 tons
CO2/year
As of 2007 14% of the
County cars, trucks or
utility vehicles are either
hybrid or pure electric
2008 FloridaWorks
GreenRide web-based
carpool matching service
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2008 Bus Rapid
Transit integral part
of mixed use
development,
Newberry Village
2008 MTPO
Investigates Peak Oil
for long range
transportation model –
First in the Southeast
Conclusion
Best Policies to reduce CO2
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Land Use: Value Green
Infrastructure; especially
wetlands
Energy Policy: Energy
conservation for County
structures, LEED Standards
Transportation: Multimodal
transportation; walk; bike,
bus and bus rapid transit ;
Prepare for Peak Oil
Best Advice
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Start now
Ask for help
Involve and educate your
citizens
Have land use policies that
address climate change
Measure your performance
Be ready for the benefits of
coming carbon markets (and
your community’s carbon
liability)
Resources
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Alachua County Website
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Alachua County Comprehensive Plan
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http://www.alachuacounty.us/assets/uploads/images/epd/documents/ECSC/Mulkey.pdf
Potential for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to Meet Florida's Growing
Energy Demand
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www.environment.alachuacounty.us
Climate change and land use in Florida: Interdependencies and opportunities
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http://growth-management.alachua.fl.us/compplanning/compplanning_index.php
Alachua County Environmental Protection Department
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www.alachuacounty.us
http://www.aceee.org/pubs/e072.htm
Opportunities for Greenhouse Gas Reduction Through Forestry and
Agriculture in Florida
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http://snre.ufl.edu/research/greenhouse.htm