South Burlington reports 10% drop in greenhouse‑gas emissions since 2019 under rebaselined inventory; buildings now largest sector

City staff and Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission consultants presented an updated greenhouse‑gas inventory and Climate Action Plan progress report on Feb. 2. The inventory was rebaselined using household vehicle‑miles‑traveled data and ICLEI’s ClearPath modeling; the new baseline reduces the absolute transportation figure and increases the relative share of building and thermal emissions.

Under the revised baseline, buildings and thermal sources now represent roughly 54% of the city’s emissions while transportation accounts for about 46% (total ~127,000 metric tons CO2e in the 2019 baseline used). Staff reported a citywide reduction of about 10% since 2019, citing Green Mountain Power’s carbon‑free energy portfolio, milder winters, greater heat‑pump installations, weatherization, and a modest increase in fleet fuel efficiency and plug‑in vehicles. Consultants said the rebaseline does not change the council’s 60%‑by‑2030 reduction goal but does change absolute quantities to which that percentage applies; staff emphasized further modeling work is needed to translate specific municipal policies into projected reductions in the ClearPath platform.

Councilors pressed staff on normalization for heating degree‑days and per‑square‑foot metrics; staff said those are useful refinements and signaled a forthcoming implementation plan for the thermal sector that will provide more policy options and cost estimates. Staff also flagged next steps on metrics, including better tracking of EV growth, benchmarking commercial buildings, and a thermal implementation plan funded by a grant.