EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
JANUARY 21, 2021
Subject
SUBJECT: MOVING BEYOND SUSTAINABILITY UPDATE
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE Moving Beyond Sustainability Update Report
Issue
ISSUE
On September 24, 2020, the Metro Board adopted the our agency's ten-year, Sustainability Strategic Plan, Moving Beyond Sustainability (MBS). Prior to approval and during the Executive Management Committee meeting on September 17, 2020, the Board Chair requested a report back on three key areas:
? A full assessment of how Metro can reduce passenger vehicle emissions and help meet state SB 32 targets and the Paris Climate agreement;
? A comprehensive look at the external impact Metro has on climate change;
? Identify partnerships with agencies such as utilities.
This report provides staff's initial findings.
Background
BACKGROUND
The Paris Climate Agreement
The Paris Climate Agreement is a landmark 2016 climate accord among 197 signatory nations. It is meant to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by maintaining global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. In addition, signatory countries agree to limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity to levels that can be absorbed naturally, periodically review each country's contribution to cutting emissions and enable wealthy countries to aid poorer nations. Under the Paris Climate Agreement, the United States' contribution is to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 26%-28% below 2005 levels by 2025 and to make best efforts to reduce its emissions by 28%.
With 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions attributable to the transport sector (road, rail, air, and marine transportation) and almost all (95%) of the world's transportation energy derived from petroleum-based fuels, largely gasoline and diesel, reducing emissions in the transport sector is a fundamental strategy in the gl...
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