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Staff outline Climate Action Plan 2026 update, data trends and outreach plan
Summary
County sustainability staff presented a Climate Action Plan update highlighting greenhouse-gas inventories, faster-than-expected EV and solar adoption, and a people-centered outreach strategy to turn community input into implementable actions.
Tompkins County sustainability staff presented the first of several updates on a Climate Action Plan refresh, reviewing past energy strategies, recent greenhouse-gas inventories and near-term outreach plans.
"A climate action plan is really an opportunity to talk with the community and get them involved in climate action," Haley said while framing the update and outreach approach. Staff noted the county government operations inventory totaled roughly "4,684 metric tons of CO2 equivalent" in 2024, while the community inventory was cited at "1,642,234 metric tons of CO2 equivalent." They pointed to faster-than-expected adoption of electric vehicles and solar generation growth in the county as reasons to revisit prior roadmaps and strategies.
Terry Carroll emphasized the need for a nimble plan that reflects new federal incentives and changed technology: staff will work with partners, including Cornell's Environmental Systems Lab, to model scenarios and use community-focused outreach that asks people about lived experience rather than technical policy prescriptions. Committee members raised questions about waste-management targets, battery storage for solar projects and outreach to businesses; staff said those topics will be included in forthcoming public engagement and technical analyses.
