Climate Action
Recognizing the need to take a more proactive role in reducing global GHG emissions and help to prevent the most dire impacts from climate change, in 2020 Mountain Village decided to build off the Town’s past efforts and work towards becoming a carbon-neutral community by 2050. This effort requires completing a community-wide GHG inventory annually in order to understand the specific emissions sources and impacts that the Town can influence as well as to track progress towards the Town’s goal of becoming a carbon neutral community by 2050.
The Town of Mountain Village developed its Climate Action Plan in 2020 and is currently working on its Climate Action Roadmap to implement the plan. The Town hosted a public workshop on January 17th to gather public feedback as part of this process. If you were unable to attend the workshop, you may review the presentation or watch the recording here:
Public Workshop Recording
Passcode: REua6eE+
What is a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory?
A greenhouse gas emissions inventory is a tool used to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, or heat-trapping gases that cause the planet to warm, from all sectors, sources, and activities within an area (e.g., a Town, County, school district, etc.).
Mountain Village GHG Emissions in 2020
Mountain Village saw a 10% decrease in emissions in 2020 compared to 2019. There was a decrease in emissions from all sectors except waste. Waste emissions more than doubled in 2020 (a 125% increase). This is largely due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19; in April and May all of the recycling that was collected in the Town was disposed of in the landfill. There was also a general increase in trash produced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, likely because of greater use of disposable and single-use items.
Similar to 2019, the majority of emissions in Mountain Village in 2020 came from building electricity use (51%) and natural gas use (37%).
