Cincinnati officials say the city is on track to meet ambitious climate reduction goals in the Green Cincinnati Plan despite reduced support from the federal government.
"When we look at the 130 actions in the GCP, more than 85% of them are in progress or completed," said Director of Environment and Sustainability Ollie Kroner, presenting to a City Council committee Wednesday.
The city has seen a 39.6% reduction in carbon emissions since 2006, on track to meet the goal of 50% reduction by 2030 and full carbon neutrality by 2050. Kroner says the city's data lags by a couple of years.
"We need to collect that data, and it will come online and will give us a sense of whether we continue to remain on track or if something has changed," Kroner told Council members. "So I remain optimistic that we can get there. Is it a guarantee? No."
Kroner says the United States as a whole increased carbon emissions last year. That will likely show up in the local data when it becomes available.
A changing climate
It's been a year of significant change at the federal level, especially when it comes to funding. Kroner says the city secured $50 million in federal climate grants during the Biden administration.
"I think you're familiar with what has happened over the last year," Kroner said. "Much of that funding has been canceled or is tied up in litigation, and we await to see what happens. So that $50 million looks closer to $18 million today."
One of the grants in active litigation is nearly $10 million for a new solar array on a former landfill in Winton Hills. The city is moving forward with the project using an alternate funding plan.
The city currently can generate more than 100 megawatts of power a year through the city-owned solar array in Highland County and small solar installations on city facilities.
Despite the large reduction in federal support, Kroner says he's optimistic.
"Most of this work has happened without federal investment for 15, 20 years," he said. "We've been able to demonstrate a lot of progress through our own funding. There are community partnerships where we've been able to move the needle. So the Inflation Reduction Act was very exciting because it presented an opportunity to accelerate in the scale, and we still seek those opportunities, but we're not held back."
The Green Cincinnati Plan also includes goals on topics like increasing recycling and reducing food waste.
The set of climate change-related goals was first launched in 2008 and is updated every five years, most recently in 2023. Work will likely begin next year for the 2028 Green Cincinnati Plan.
Kroner says the next few years will be defined by energy generation and use. Artificial intelligence and the cost of energy are both rapidly increasing; that means mounting pressure to shift to renewable energy sources.
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