Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Greenhouse Gas Inventory topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fayetteville reports 6% drop in community emissions for 2024; government operations see large declines since 2010
Summary
Environmental Director Peter Niergarten said the city's 2024 inventory shows a 6% reduction in community greenhouse-gas emissions versus 2023 and significant government operations reductions largely driven by solar arrays at wastewater plants; fleet emissions remain the largest remaining source for government operations.
City environmental staff presented Fayetteville's 2024 greenhouse-gas inventory and government-operations emissions summary to the Environmental Action Committee on Oct. 20.
Peter Niergarten reported that community-wide emissions declined "6%" in 2024 compared with 2023 and are down about 22.5% since the 2010 baseline. He said per-capita emissions have fallen from roughly 19.2 metric tons per capita in 2010 to about 10.6 metric tons per capita in 2024 (the U.S. average is roughly 14 metric tons per capita). "That's impressive, especially considering our population growth," Niergarten said.
For city government operations, Niergarten said emissions fell about 29% in 2024 versus 2023 and that operations emissions are down roughly 78% since 2010, a decline he attributed largely to solar arrays that offset electricity consumption at wastewater treatment plants. He noted, however, that fleet fuel emissions have increased and now represent the single largest operational emissions source; staff recommended strategies including right-sizing vehicles, targeted electric vehicle purchases where cost-effective and exploration of hydrogen and other alternatives for large trucks.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about sector-specific changes (vehicle miles traveled, natural gas, landfill emissions) and the assumptions behind sequestration values. Niergarten responded with sector breakdowns showing electricity and wastewater declines and an increase in landfill emissions since 2010.
