Howard County details Climate Forward progress; administration to bring building-electrification proposal by June

Howard County's Office of Community Sustainability reported progress on its Climate Forward plan and outlined targets and next steps for decarbonizing buildings and transportation, while the administration said it will present building-code proposals related to electrification by June.

Tim Latimer, administrator for the Office of Community Sustainability, told the council that the county has reduced community-wide greenhouse gas emissions 23% from a 2005 baseline as of the most recent data year (2022) and reiterated county targets of a 60% reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2045. "2024 was the hottest year ever recorded in human history," Latimer said, stressing the urgency of local mitigation and resilience efforts.

Latimer said transportation is the county's largest emissions source (more than half of community emissions), followed by the building sector (about 42%). To address those sectors, the county is pursuing multiple strategies: expanding solar and battery capacity, installing publicly available EV chargers, accelerating building electrification, expanding curbside food-scrap collection, and increasing tree canopy and nature-based solutions.

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