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Piedmont presents 2023 greenhouse gas inventory; city not yet on track for 2030 target
Summary
City staff presented the 2023 greenhouse gas inventory and Climate Action Plan (CAP2) implementation update, showing a 32% drop in emissions since 2005 but a 1% rise from 2022 to 2023 and projections that Piedmont remains off track for its 2030 goal without new interventions.
Piedmont staff on Monday presented the 2023 greenhouse gas inventory and an update on implementation of Climate Action Plan 2, reporting long-term reductions since the 2005 baseline but warning the city is not on track for its 2030 emissions target without additional measures.
Sustainability Clerk Andrew Kaplovitz presented the inventory and told the council that citywide greenhouse gas emissions have declined 32% from the 2005 baseline but increased about 1% from 2022 to 2023. He said transportation (passenger vehicles) and building energy together account for 97% of citywide emissions; passenger vehicles represent about 45% of the total, and residential natural gas accounts for roughly 44% of citywide emissions in the building-energy sector.
Kaplovitz said municipal emissions in 2023 were more than 1,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent — the largest municipal total on record — a figure he attributed in part to more-detailed methodology and additional employee-commute data. The inventory showed transportation emissions declined 2.2% from the prior year, a change staff linked to greater EV and hybrid adoption (the share of EV/hybrid vehicles rose 4.5 percentage points in 2023 to about one-fourth of registered vehicles in Piedmont). Staff also reported a decline in electricity-sector emissions, which they attributed in part to increased enrollment in AVA Community Energy’s 100% renewable service and more favorable power content labels.
The presentation highlighted other programmatic work in 2024–25: development of an existing-building electrification strategy (the city has held three task-force sessions with seven residents serving as a community task force), outreach at schools and community events, a relaunched induction cooktop lending program, an electrification-rebate program with more than $65,000 allocated since February, and construction of bike lanes and intersection upgrades tied to the Safer Streets Plan.
Staff emphasized actions the city can pursue to reduce emissions: accelerate building electrification and energy efficiency (including targeted rebates and outreach), encourage green transportation (EV adoption, transit, biking and walking), electrify the municipal fleet and reduce employee commute emissions (including possible employee EV charging policies and incentives), and lead by example through facility energy audits and upgrades (staff proposed using PG&E on-bill financing to audit city facilities).
Kaplovitz noted Piedmont’s ICLEI “business as usual” forecast shows the city will not meet its 2030 goals without new interventions. Council members asked about task-force membership and timeline; staff said they expect to finish the electrification strategy in calendar 2025 and will present specific program designs and timelines for council consideration. The inventory and implementation update were informational; no council votes were required.
