HomeMy WebLinkAboutCFE agenda 121216AGENDA
Commission for the Environment
December 12, 2016
7:30 p.m.
Orange County Solid Waste Administration Building
1207 Eubanks Road, Chapel Hill
Time Item Title
7:30 I. Call to Order
7:32 II. Additions or Changes to Agenda
7:35 III. Approval of Minutes — November 14, 2016
The CFE will consider approval of minutes from the last meeting. (Attachment 1)
7:40 IV. CFE Annual Report and Work Plan 2016 -17
The CFE will consider approval of its 2016 -17 annual report and work plan, which was
developed in November. The report to the BOCC is due on December 16. (Attachment 2)
7:45 V. Planning for Climate Change
Jeanette O'Connor will provide an overview of the Town of Carrboro's climate action plan, which
is being considered for implementation by the Board of Aldermen. (Attachments 3 -4)
Carrboro Community Climate Action Plan (Nov 2016)
https:// Carrboro. legistar. com/ LegislationDetail .aspx ?ID= 2882400&GUID= 9581AE32-
5 EE5- 437A- 82AD- F8CF21 FB4022&Options= &Search=
8:15 VI. CFE News Articles
The CFE will also consider a draft news article on Climate Change revised since the November
meeting, and a draft follow -up article (Part 2) also on Climate Change. (Attachments 5 -6)
8:30 VII. Election of Officers
CFE members are scheduled to elect a new Chair and Vice -Chair for the upcoming year
in accordance with the CFE policies and procedures. (Attachment 7)
8:45 VIII. Updates and Information Items
Staff and /or CFE members will provide updates on the following items:
➢ CFE Calendar for 2017 (Attachment 8)
➢ CFE memo re UDO flexible minor subdivision (Attachment 9)
➢ Climate Change Indicators in the US, 2016 (Attachment 10)
➢ COP22 Marrakech Action Proclamation (Attachment 11)
➢ NC Industrial Hemp Commission begins work (Attachment 12)
➢ The environmental meaning of President Trump (Attachment 13)
➢ Any other new information from CFE members and staff
9:15 IV. Adjourn
Nextmeeting., January 11 (Hillsborough)
CFE Meeting Ground Rules (Adopted 9112111)
1. Keep to agenda topic under discussion
2. Share relevant information
3. One person speaks at a time after recognition by the Chair
4. Everyone is invited to participate in discussions / no one person should dominate
discussions
5. Strive to reach consensus first before voting
Activities the CFE expects to carry out in 2016:
• Continue to update the Orange County State of the Environment 2014 report
• Continue to explore ways to improve the County's ability to foster local sustainable
energy production and energy efficiency strategies, including developing incentives
for increasing energy efficiency in new construction
• Recommend ways to reduce the County's "carbon footprint" and implement the
County's Environmental Responsibility Goal (BOCC Priority #10)
• Continue to help with public outreach and management efforts related to hydrilla in
the Eno River
• Help initiate the development of a comprehensive conservation plan for Orange Co
• Co- sponsor the annual DEAPR photography contest (The Nature of Orange)
• Help plan for and participate in County's annual Earth Evening event
Concerns or emerging issues the CFE has identified for 2016:
• The CFE will continue to advocate for an expansion of the County's commercial food waste
pickup and composting services to reduce food waste in the solid waste stream
• The CFE remains interested in developing incentives for increasing energy efficiency in new
construction
• The CFE will continue to learn more about environmental justice matters and incorporate
relevant information and considerations in the State of the Environment report and its other
activities
• The CFE will continue to follow the Solid Waste Advisory Group's discussions of how to
improve the handling and disposal of Orange County's solid waste, and will advocate for
better long -term solutions
• The CFE will continue to advocate for increased efforts to gather information related to water
resources in Orange County and to increase public awareness and understanding of water
supply sources, related concerns, and what steps can be undertaken to maintain or improve
the quantity and quality of Orange County water supply resources
• The CFE will continue to address, as appropriate, the critical environmental issues for Orange
County as enumerated on page 3 of the 2014 State of the Environment report, which include
potential adverse effects from a) invasive, non - native, plant and animal species; b) reductions
in State -led collection of water resources data; c) potential drilling for natural gas in the Deep
River basin; d) urban sprawl; and CFE support for e) the responsible deployment of clean and
appropriately -sited renewable energy and reductions in energy use to help fight climate
change
Orange County
Commission for the Environment
DRAFT Meeting Summary
November 14, 2016
Whitted Human Services Center, Hillsborough
PRESENT: Lydia Wegman (Chair), May Becker, Peter Cada, Lynne Gronback, Loren Hintz,
Bill Kaiser, Jeannette O'Connor, Sheila Thomas -Ambat
ABSENT: Bill Newby, Rebecca Ray
STAFF: Tom Davis, Brennan Bouma
VISITORS: Alan Parry, Kathleen Smith, Alex Nickodem
I. Call to Order — Wegman called the meeting to order at 7:32 pm.
II. Additions or Changes to Agenda — None.
III. Minutes — Wegman asked for comments on the August 8 and October 10, 2016 meeting
summaries. Hintz motioned approval of both meeting summaries as written; seconded
by Kaiser. Approved unanimously.
IV. UDO Text Amendment for Minor Subdivisions
The CFE considered a draft memo commenting on a proposed amendment to the
Orange County Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) that was discussed in October.
The proposed change will allow for minor subdivisions with a "Flexible Design" option,
which promotes the clustering of houses and more protected open space.
Wegman and Hintz gave a brief explanation of the October presentation by the Planning
Department for those CFE members who were not present. O'Connor offered that
Carrboro has recently encouraged the preservation of natural spaces, not just open
spaces, in the Town's subdivision approval process. Cada offered that native grasses
that do not require mowing can also be used.
The CFE members discussed recommending the County reconsider how open space is
defined and maybe encouraging that open spaces be required to use native species or
natural plant and animal communities. O'Connor will look into the wording used by
Carrboro and report back to the CFE.
Cada asked if there was any impact to groundwater when concentrating the septic fields
together, particularly downstream /downgradient from the septic systems. Davis will
contact Alan Clapp (Environmental Health) and Pat Mallett (Planning) to ask how the
impacts of arouoina septic drain fields is beina considered for off -site septic systems.
Hintz motioned to approve the draft memo as written, with the understanding that one
sentence might be added to address the issue of including natural plant and animal
communities in the definition of open space. The motion was seconded by Cada and
passed unanimously.
V. CFE Outreach and Facebook Page
The CFE also considered a draft news article on Climate Change, an invitation to display
information at the Orange County Library, and whether to develop internal guidelines for
the CFE Facebook page and other social media.
O'Connor said she will request permission from Beth Young (DEAPR Communications
Manager) to add her email to the CFE Facebook page to give Young administrative
access. Young can then ensure the page conforms to the County Social Media Policy,
and can then notify the CFE that it is ready for use.
There was discussion a small ad hoc committee to develop internal protocols for the
CFE's use of social media. O'Connor and Ray will work to clarify the internal rules.
Bouma and Wegman will be kept in the loop.
The draft article on Climate Change was discussed and a few changes were proposed
and received by the article's authors (Kaiser et al.). Kaiser will revise these sections and
circulate the revised article over email as well as a second article on climate change
containing information about changes in the paleo climate for further discussion.
VI. CFE Annual Report and Work Plan 2016 -17
The CFE reviewed a draft report of their activities, accomplishments, new issues, and
concerns for 2015 -16.
CFE members discussed the draft report and recommended three edits: a clarification
that the CFE will work to further encourage appropriately -sited solar energy generation
and the re- instatement of two items related to compost collection and communication
with the SWAG. Bouma will ask Shaw why these were removed and share with the
CFE. The final report is due on Dec. 16. Hintz moved to approve the document as
edited: seconded by Wegman. The CFE approved unanimously.
VII. Updates and Information Items — Information on the following subjects was provided in
the meeting package; selected items were discussed: a) CFE membership /recruitment,
b) Orange County stream buffer requirements, c) Go green to save green training, d)
Potential SolSmart community designation, e) Carrboro's Climate Action Plan, f) NIEHS
study of biosolids land application, g) NC's Clean Air Act enforcement, h) Duke Forest
newsletter, i) Urban forests and Hurricane Matthew, j) National electric vehicle charging
network, k) Tesla's solar roof, 1) Industrial Hemp Commission holds first meeting.
VI 11. Adjournment — O'Connor moved to adjourn; seconded by Gronback. Wegman
adjourned the meeting at 9:15 pm.
Summary by Brennan Bouma, AMS Staff
Movember.15, 2016 DRAFT
NAME OF BOARD /COMMISSION: Commission for the Environment
Report Period: 2016-2017
ORANGE COUNTY ADVISORY BOARDS & COMMISSIONS
ANNUAL REPORT / WORK PLAN FOR THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
The Board of Commissioners welcomes input from various advisory boards and
commissions in preparation for its annual planning retreat. Please complete the following
information, limited to the front and back of this form. Other background materials may be
provided as a supplement to, but not as a substitute for, this form.
Board /Commission Name: Commission for the Environment
Persons to address BOCC at work session and contact information:
Chair: Lydia Wegman
Vice Chair Lynne Gronback
Primary County Staff Contacts:
919- 886 -8775 Inwegman @gmail.com
919- 219 -3219 Ironback@gmail.com
Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation
Tom Davis (Water Resources Coordinator) 245 -2513 tdavis@orangecountync.gov
Brennan Bouma (Sustainability Coordinator) 245 -2626 bbouma @orangecountync.gov
How many times per month does this commission meet, including any special
meetings and sub - committee meetings?
One meeting per month (2nd Monday); committees meet as needed during meeting
Brief Statement of Commission's Assigned Charge and Responsibilities.
Purpose: to advise the BOCC on matters affecting the environment, with particular
emphasis on environmental protection and enhancement. Other duties include:
• Perform special studies /projects on environmental issues as requested by BOCC
• Recommend environmental initiatives to the BOCC, especially of local importance
• Study changes in environmental science and environmental regulations in the
pursuit of the CFE's duties
• Educate the public and local officials on environmental issues
What are your Commission's most important accomplishments?
• Made recommendations to BOCC on UDO amendment to flexible subdivisions (2016)
• Initiated a series of newspaper articles on environmental issues featured previously in
the Orange County State of the Environment report (2015 -16)
• Made recommendations to BOCC on 2016 bond package, the use of herbicides/
pesticides at County facilities, and incentives for energy efficient construction (2015)
• Commented to Planning Bd on proposed changes to impervious surface rules (2015)
• Provided ideas for Public Services Announcements for County radio spots (2015)
• Collaborated with other entities on energy conservation and mgmt. projects (2015 -16)
• Published the 2014 Orange County State of the Environment report
(previous reports were completed in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009)
• Convened Orange County Environmental Summit (2005, 2009, 2014)
• Made recommendations to BOCC on food waste and solid waste tax district (2014)
• Worked with Orange County Schools to introduce local environmental indicators/
status and trends into middle and high school science curriculum (2004, 2009, 2014)
Commission for the Environment Movember.15, 2016 DRA,,FT
• Hosted a Solid Waste Forum with the Chapel Hill Sustainability Committee (2013)
• Co- sponsored the annual The Nature of Orange photography contest (2012 - 2016)
• Advocated for' /2 cent sales tax referendum for Triangle Region public transit (2012)
• Compiled annotated bibliography of the effects of forestry on water quality (2012)
• Developed sustainable landscaping and forest management policies for the
administration of County -owned facilities (2010)
• Assisted County staff in completing the Natural and Cultural Systems Element of the
Orange County Comprehensive Plan (2008)
List of Specific Tasks, Events, or Functions Performed or Sponsored Annually.
• Liaisons to Intergovernmental Parks Work Group and Orange Unified Transp. Board
• Review and comment on environmental issues (e.g., fracking, biosolids application,
water pollution, air quality, forest mgmt.) and other issues assigned by the BOCC
• Identify priorities for the Lands Legacy Action Plan (natural areas and wildlife habitat)
• Conduct special studies pertaining to Orange County environment (e.g., energy
efficiency /sustainability, forestry effects on water quality, herbicides and native flora)
• Conduct environmental education outreach (e.g., Last Friday, Earth Evening)
Describe this commission's activities /accomplishments in carrying out BOCC
goals /priorities, if applicable.
BOCC Goal Five: Create, preserve, and protect a natural environment that
includes clean water, clean air, wildlife, important natural lands and sustainable
energy for present and future generations.
Presented findings and recommendations to BOCC on selected environmental
issues: effects of forest mgmt. on water quality; effects of herbicides on roadside
native plant habitat; potential effects of hydraulic fracturing ( "fracking ") in Orange
County; problems caused by hydrilla in the Eno River (BOCC Priorities #1 and #12)
Stayed abreast of ongoing and developing env. issues of importance to the County,
such as Falls & Jordan Lake nutrient mgmt. rules, reducing commercial food waste in
solid waste stream, and permitting of biosolids on farmland (Priorities #12 and #16)
Provides comments on proposed master plans for future parks /preserves
If your commission played the role of an Element Lead Advisory Board involved in the
2030 Comprehensive Plan preparation process, please indicate your activities/
accomplishments as they may relate to the Comprehensive Plan's goals or objectives.
(Element Lead Advisory Boards include: Planning Board, Commission for the Environment,
Historic Preservation Commission, Agriculture Pres. Board, and Parks & Recreation Council)
The CFE provided extensive input into DEAPR staff development of the Natural and
Cultural Systems Element of the Comprehensive Plan— specifically the chapters on Air
and Energy Resources, Water Resources, and Natural Areas and Wildlife Habitat.
Objective AE -1:
Assess and implement the current countywide greenhouse gas emissions inventory and
action plan target reductions.
• The CFE helped to initiate a countywide inventory of greenhouse gas emissions
(2005), and continues to advise on ways to reduce the County's "carbon footprint."
Objective AE -15:
Foster participation in green energy programs such as installation incentives for solar hot
water /solar generation /solar tempering in residential or commercial construction. The
2
Commission for the Environment Movember.15, 2016 DRA,,FT
County should develop programs that will link citizens and businesses with options for
alternative and sustainable energy sources.
• The CFE's Energy Resources Committee has developed proposals that address
energy efficiency and renewable power issues, and will pursue further in collaboration
with other advisory boards and stakeholders.
Objective NA -3:
Develop a more detailed and consistent methodology for monitoring changes in forest
cover throughout the County, and specifically the extent of mature hardwood forest.
• The CFE's State of the Environment report documented significant reductions in
mature hardwood forest that occurred from 2003 -2008 and since 1988.
Objective NA -11:
Develop a comprehensive conservation plan for achieving a network of protected open
space throughout Orange County, which addresses 1) threats to important natural areas;
2) connectivity between protected areas; 3) coordination with neighboring counties; and
4) sustainable management of critical natural resources.
• The CFE's Land Resources Committee is participating in a County effort to identify
and preserve important landscape corridors that connect significant natural areas.
Objective NA -16:
Create a system of public and private open space and conservation areas, including
parks, nature preserves, and scenic vistas representative of Orange County landscape
• The CFE advises County's Lands Legacy program in its efforts to protect the most
important natural and cultural resource lands through a variety of means.
• The CFE's Land Resources Committee is participating in a County effort to identify
and preserve important landscape corridors that connect significant natural areas.
Objective WR -5:
Promote and participate in regional efforts to plan for use of water supplies in the region
in an equitable manner, including contingency planning for water supplies during
droughts. [Also Objectives WR -9, WR -10, and WR -15]
• CFE stays abreast of Jordan Lake Partnership and advises staff as needed
• CFE advocates for full implementation of the Water Resources Initiative to ensure
planning for an adequate water supply for current and anticipated future needs
Objective WRA 1:
Provide incentives and educational information to landowners to increase protection of
watersheds and ground water supplies and their inter - relationships.
• The CFE distributes groundwater and surface water educational materials at Earth
Evening and Last Fridays events and as part of its State of the Environment reports
NOTE: The Orange County State of the Environment 2014 identified specific
recommendations on ways to help maintain and improve Orange County's
environmental quality, many of which address objectives stated in the
Orange County Comprehensive Plan.
Commission for the Environment Movember.15, 201 FT
Identify any activities this commission expects to carry out in 2017 as they relate to
established BOCC goals and priorities. If applicable, is there a fiscal impact (i.e.,
funding, staff time, other resources) associated with these proposed activities (list).
• Continue to write news articles on environmental issues of importance to Orange
County, including climate change, energy conservation, and other important topics
• Continue to explore ways to improve the County's ability to foster local sustainable
energy production and energy efficiency strategies, including making Orange County
an even better place for
Y .I .IIIT .I .IIIT.,iat .ILy : ,,.:ted solar energy generation, including
developing incentives for increasing energy efficiency in new construction
• Recommend ways to reduce the County's "carbon footprint" and implement the
County's Environmental Responsibility Goal (BOCC Priority #10)
• Continue to help with public outreach and management efforts related to hydrilla in
the Eno River
• Participate in a County effort to identify and preserve important landscape corridors
that connect significant natural areas and open space (BOCC Priority #1)
• Co- sponsor the annual DEAPR photography contest (The Nature of Orange)
• Help plan for and participate in County's annual Earth Evening event
What are the concerns or emerging issues your board has identified for the upcoming
year that it plans to address, or wishes to bring to the Commissioners' attention?
• The CFE will continue to advocate for an expansion of the County's commercial food
waste pickup and composting services to reduce food waste in the solid waste stream
• The CFE remains interested in developing incentives for increasing energy efficiency
in new construction
• The CFE will continue to learn more about environmental justice matters and
incorporate relevant information and considerations in the next State of the
Environment report (2020) and its other activities
• The CFE will continue to follow the Solid Waste Advisory Group's discussions of how
to improve the handling and disposal of Orange County's solid waste, and will
advocate for better long -term solutions
• The CFE will continue to advocate for increased efforts to gather information related
to water resources in Orange County and to increase public awareness and
understanding of water supply sources, related concerns, and what steps can be
undertaken to maintain or improve the quantity and quality of Orange County water
supply resources
• The CFE will continue to address, as appropriate, the critical environmental issues for
Orange County as enumerated on page 3 of the 2014 State of the Environment
report, which include potential adverse effects from a) invasive, non - native, plant and
animal species; b) reductions in State -led collection of water resources data; c)
potential drilling for natural gas in the Deep River basin; d) urban sprawl; and CFE
support for e) the responsible deployment of clean and appropriately -sited renewable
energy and reductions in energy use to help fight climate change
4
TOWN OF CARRBORO
NORTH CAROLINA
TRANSMITTAL PLANNING DEPARTMENT
DELIVERED VIA: ® HAND ❑ MAIL ❑ FAX ® EMAIL
To: Board of Aldermen
David Andrews, Town Manager
From: Randy Dodd, Environmental Planner
Thru: Patricia McGuire, Planning Director
Christina Moon, Planning Administrator
Date: November 8, 2016
Subject: Draft Community Climate Action Plan Follow Up
Summary
At the June 21, 2016 meeting, the Board of Aldermen directed staff to assess the benefits of the
draft Community Climate Action Plan and report on an implementation schedule; the purpose of
this memo is to provide a response. "Benefits" as used herein refers primarily to climate
mitigation, or reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Other "benefits" are briefly presented,
including climate adaptation and resilience, a qualitative perspective of the "co- benefits" of
climate action, and monetary benefits through a relatively new economic concept, "the social
cost of carbon ". An appendix with implementation timing considerations has also been
prepared.
Information
Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory
The degree of future climate change is dependent on greenhouse gas emissions'. Actions taken
today to reduce greenhouse gas emissions mean less warming and less severe impacts. In the
' Melillo, Jerry, Terese Richmond, and Gary Yohe. "National Climate Assessment ". January 1, 2014. Accessed April 16, 2015.
http://nea2Ol4.globalchange.gov/highlights#section-5682.
1
Cities for Climate Protection campaign, the first step to pursue climate mitigation planning and
action is to complete an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions. For Carrboro, an inventory was
first attempted for Orange County (in collaboration with other local governments) in 2007 (using
2005 data), and was subsequently updated for Carrboro by a UNC Capstone Team (using 2009
data). In 2015, a second UNC Capstone Team worked with the Town to create an updated
community greenhouse gas inventory for 20123. This inventory revealed a total greenhouse gas
emissions for the community of 112k tons COz equivalent (CO2e), which equates to 5.5 tons
COze per capita. The inventory accounted for emissions for the area within the municipal limits
for "direct" GHG emissions (e.g., combustion of natural gas and motor vehicle fuelsi along with
limited "indirect" GHG emissions, most notably from the use of purchased electricity. As
further discussed below, this community scale methodology is not explicitly designed to more
holistically or comprehensively account for the full spectrum of emissions from production to
consumption from household /personal or business activities.
Subsequent to completion of the greenhouse gas inventory, climate mitigation and adaptation
recommendations have been drafted with support from the Energy and Climate Task Force. The
draft Community Climate Action Plan (CCAP) recommends a 50% per capita reduction in
emissions by 2025. This recommendation is specifically articulated as cutting "the carbon
footprint in half over the next 10 years for the entire community, Town operations, the buildings
and transportation "sectors ", and ultimately each resident and business ". The plan includes
recommendations organized around themes of community integration, energy efficiency in
buildings, transportation, renewable energy, ecosystem protection and restoration, and (following
on community input) climate mitigation through food choices. In considering the addition of
food related recommendations, some initial thoughts regarding accounting for food (and other)
consumption related emissions are included below.
Emissions Estimates Based on Household Consumption
Researchers at UC- Berkeley have developed emissions estimates for the entire U.S., using a
different method than in the community inventory that accounts for the entire "lifecycle"
( "cradle to grave ") of activities that households purse that lead to emissions.' These estimates
have been completed for five different sectors associated with individual households:
transportation, dwellings, food, goods, and services, by zip code (Figures 1 and 2; the emissions
shown are for the entire zip code areas across jurisdictional boundaries).
2 "Climate Change Mitigation." United Nations Environment Programme. Accessed March 24, 2015.
http: / /www.unep .orb /climatechan�4e /mitigation/ Climate change mitigation is defined as efforts to reduce or prevent emission of
greenhouse gases
s The inventory is available at -//www.town
a Christopher M. Jones and Daniel M. Kammen, Spatial Distribution of U.S. Household Carbon Footprints Reveals
Suburbanization Undermines Greenhouse Gas Benefits of Urban Population Density. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2013,
dx.doi.org /10.1021/es4O34364. Sponsored by UC- Berkeley Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory, California Air
Resources Board, National Science Foundation. Online calculator and maps available at
hWr: / /coo1c1ima1e.berkeley.ec i/ calculator
2
Figure 1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Based on Household
25.0 Consumption for Carrboro Zip Codes
M
¢ 20.0
U
U
L.
p 15.0
a�
a�
10.0
N
5.0
P
45.0
40.0
35.0
M
4 30.0
U
U
25.0
N 20.0
O 2.1,5
15.0
10.0
5.0
Figure 2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Based on Household
Consumption in NC by Zip Code
2 75 16
1= lowest For 779 Zip Codes in NC (lowest to highest GGE) 789 = highest
A few points are worth emphasizing from this work:
1) The total emissions per capita relative to the community based methodology results in
about 3 times higher estimates. Conceptually, this is a function of geographically
limiting community based emissions estimates to activities within the municipal limits
and to direct emissions and a limited portion of the indirect emissions. For example, the
3
increase in transportation emissions is mostly due to the increase in vehicle miles
travelled to account for trips outside of Carrboro. In addition, the food, goods, and
services emissions are not accounted for in the community based estimates.
2) There is a notable difference between emissions estimates for the 27510 and 27516 zip
codes. The greater emissions in 27516 is due to differences between contributing factors
such as vehicle fuel use and economic indicators (e.g., property value, income).
Additional discussion of the potential for emissions reductions as the plan's recommendations
are pursued is provided in the following section.
Anticipated Emissions Reductions from the Community Climate Action Plan
This section provides a qualitative /preliminary assessment of the climate mitigation benefits, by
sector, associated with implementing the CCAP.
Community Buildings
Between 2011 and 2013, with $311k of ARRA federal funding supports, the Carrboro WISE
program was successful in driving energy efficiency retrofits for 113 single- family and
multifamily units and providing 5 commercial loans for projects in 3 separate commercial
buildings. The projects were estimated to achieve 21% energy savings and a total of almost $40k
a year of savings for these homeowners /businesses (Table 1). This resulted in a 0.1% reduction
of the total community buildings emissions footprint. This funding also supported an energy
efficiency outreach and education program that reached 77 additional Carrboro residents with
support from Clean Energy Durham's "Pete Street" program. Although the WISE/Pete Street
efforts reached a small percentage of the entire community during this 2+ year window, it
nevertheless offers a foundation and lessons learned for looking towards future reductions from
energy efficiency improvements for buildings.
s This public funding provided administrative, subsidy /incentive, and technical support and leveraged significant private funds
from homeowners and businesses as well as additional subsidies from utilities.
6 These cost savings were estimated using 2013 PSNC ($1.05) and Duke Energy ($0.093) rates.
El
To obtain a larger perspective beyond what is possible with data from the WISE program alone,
it is helpful to look at community wide data and trends in energy usage and therefore greenhouse
emissions associated with buildings. Duke Energy has provided monthly electricity use data
aggregated for all Duke residential and commercial accounts in Carrboro from January, 2011
through the end of 20157. An analysis of this data (Figure 3) indicates that residential electricity
use declined by about 1% per annum during this time, while population increased by about 2%
per annum.
12,000,000
10,000,000
8,000,000
6,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
Figure 3: Duke Electricity Usage (kwh) for
Carrboro
0
� O O O O O
Residential Commercial
Linear (Residential) ......... Linear (Commercial)
This downward trend will need to be approximately doubled to meet the 50% by 2025 per capita
emissions reduction goal. Commercial use remained very stable, with essentially no measurable
reduction during this period.
How might pursuit of the actions in the CCAP affect the residential and commercial electricity
use trends? An important consideration is that only 33% of homes are owner occupied,
compared to 59% renter occupied (the remaining 8% of homes are vacant)$. The draft CCAP
includes several recommendations that consider the low level of owner occupancy. With regard
to emissions from commercial buildings, the Town established an Energy Efficiency Revolving
Loan Fund for small businesses in 2012 and issued several loans shortly thereafter. As these
loans are being repaid, the fund is being replenished so that a growing balance is available for
new loans.
Conclusion #1, residential buildings: Achieving a 50% reduction by 2025 is difficult given the
ownership (mostly non owner occupied), building stock (a high percentage of multifamily, a
Duke Energy is the electricity provider for about 90% of Carrboro.
" "Carrboro, NC Homes and Housing." USA City Facts. Accessed April 9, 2015.
hMa: / /www Lisacayfacis com/nc /orange /carrboro /homes/ .
5
sector that is harder to achieve significant reductions in), and potential reduction per building'.
Furthermore, a more detailed implementation plan associated with the measures included in the
draft plan will need to be developed to determine the specific and most effective and cost
effective steps for accelerating improvements in energy efficiency.
Conclusion #2, commercial buildings: If the trend observed from 2011 -2015 continues, a lower
level of reduction in per capita emissions from commercial buildings through efficiency
improvements than in residential buildings can be expected in the absence of significant new
initiatives. Given the recent trend, it is reasonable to conclude that achieving a 50% reduction by
2025 will be even harder to achieve with commercial buildings than with residential buildings.
As with residential buildings, an implementation plan will need to be developed to accelerate
improvements in energy efficiency.
Transportation
Appendix A provides a summary of information used in emissions estimates from the 2012
greenhouse gas inventory. There are several important methodological point that are relevant to
transportation oriented climate action planning.
1) Using state statistics from federal data as a proxy for the transportation factor set may not
capture the unique characteristics for Carrboro and could therefore be introducing a bias
into emissions estimates to the degree that vehicle type and fuel economy deviate from
these statistics. For example, data and analysis from the USDOE 10 that draws on local
vehicle registration data reveals that the community fleet has a higher average fuel
economy per vehicle (26.5 mpg versus 23.3 mpg) than assumed for the 2012 community
greenhouse gas inventory estimates.
2) Using an aggregated snapshot for VMT at the time of the inventory does not allow for a
more robust assessment of trends and patterns to help understand how VMT has changed
over time, nor how it varies at different Carrboro locations. It is therefore limited in
offering insights into potential emissions reduction strategies and past and future progress
towards the 50% reduction goal. Local data indicate that traffic counts at different
locations in Carrboro over the past decade demonstrate distinct differences and changes
over time". Additional work is needed to insure that these trends and patterns are
captured and accounted for in emissions tracking, and inform transportation strategies to
reduce emissions.
It is also important to consider the many efforts that the community has been actively involved
in for a number of years (e.g., fare free transit, support for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure
and safety, land use planning and transportation demand management that supports mode
9 Experience from the WISE program suggests that 40% is the maximum expected reduction per home through no cost/low cost
efforts and retrofits, i.e., short of redevelopment or extensive rehabilitation
io hjj rol . / /ap_lros 1.cere.enerj, >ov /sled/ # /
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choices) that are relevant to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from transportation12.
Examples of relevant initiatives include the Safe Routes to Schools Program and pursuit of
Bicycle Friendly Community standards. Key partners include NCDOT, the Durham - Chapel
Hill - Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, Triangle Transit, Chapel Hill Transit, UNC,
and the Carrboro Bicycle Coalition.
Conclusion #1: At this juncture it is difficult to assess how transportation emissions have
changed and could change over time. In addition, the community based method which is limited
to trips in Carrboro is not able to capture changes associated with community members' larger
transportation behaviors and choices. A helpful step for tracking changes /reductions in
transportation emissions for future community inventories could be the development of a new
dataset and methodology. Confidence in emissions estimate is less than in the buildings sector
where energy use data is more directly measured through metered utility accounts.
Conclusion #2: Carrboro has been involved in important initiatives that have reduced greenhouse
gas emissions from transportation for the past 1 -2 decades, and has established plans, dedicated
resources and partners, and community capacity to continue with these efforts. Vehicle MPG has
also steadily increased for several decades. This also is in some contrast to the situation with
emissions associated with buildings. All things considered, it seems reasonable that the
transportation sector may have a stronger foundation in historical emissions reductions, however,
as discussed, additional work is required to more accurately assess historical emissions and
assess what might be possible for reductions by 2025.
Renewable Ener�y
The North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association ( NCSEA) tracks renewable energy
installations in North Carolina. Based on the NCSEA estimate of 268 kilowatts (kW) of
renewable energy generation (via photovoltaics, or "PV ") for 52 installations in Carrboro, the
total PV generation as of 2016 is a little under I% of the total electricity demand. A
considerable majority of the solar capacity in Carrboro was installed in 2014 and 2015 as part of
back -to -back "Solarize" campaigns13. To make significant progress towards the 50% emissions
reduction target by 2025, renewable generation will have to ramp up quickly.
What is a reasonable estimate of the maximum amount of solar electricity that can potentially be
generated in Carrboro based on physical realities of terrain, solar insolation (available sunshine),
and the nature of the built environment? It can be inferred, hypothetically, by extrapolating from
an estimate included in the Chapel Hill greenhouse gas inventory14, that 3% of Carrboro may be
suitable for solar installations from rooftops, open land, and parking lots, and a total of 116k
megawatt hours (MWh) of potential annual energy generation could mitigate up to 8 1 k
" These documents are available at biqi: / /www.townofc irrlioro.orL. 719 / "FrLinsLiorfiaE:ion
13 hfl�EC�:/ /solarize- nc.orp /IocaE:ions/
14 hflE:p:/ /ie.unc.cduLFilcs /2016 /0:1 /communiEy carbon re.�f (p.21)
FA
mTCO2e. In other words, almost all of the current community electricity demand could
conceivably be generated by photovoltaics based on solar access alone, which is equivalent to
about 72% of the total community emissions, exceeding the 2025 climate action reduction goal.
The Department of Energy has estimated that about 175k square meters of rooftop space is
available in Carrboro, which is equivalent to about 34k MWh of potential annual generation, or a
little more than 1/3 of the amount extrapolated above. 15 However, economic constraints will
drive adoption of new solar capacity more than physical constraints, and it is probably overly
optimistic to project that solar generation will approach what is hypothetically /physically
possible by 2025 based on either total or rooftop area available.
Achieving more on the order of 5 -10% renewable energy generation of total electricity use in
Carrboro by 2025 may be more realistic. There are factors working towards an acceleration of
adoption of solar electricity. Most notably, the rapid reduction in the cost of hardware has led to
market forces being close to a "tipping point" at which solar electricity production could rapidly
accelerate. However, there are other factors that will limit new solar uptake, such as the
discontinuation of the state renewable energy tax credit, the state -level prohibition of Yd party
sales of solar electricity, the scheduled phased expiration of the federal tax credit between 2019
and 2021, roof/building orientations and constraints, and as with energy efficiency of buildings,
the high proportion of homes that are not owner occupied. Solar installations have already
declined in 2016 relative to 2014 and 2015 in large part due to the discontinuation of the state tax
credit16. Finally, there are no opportunities, in all likelihood, in Carrboro for significant utility
scale ( -1 mW and larger) solar installations because of constraints such as the need for larger
open areas, less expensive land access, and proximity to substations with capacity.
There could be a niche for perhaps 20 -50 kW systems that can be developed through innovative
financing mechanisms and community collaboration'' " Because of rate structures and the
anticipated continued rise in electricity costs, the opportunity is enhanced for sites that can take
advantage of net metering, while maintaining electrical generation on an annual basis at or below
the onsite electrical demand. Figuring out the financing to create cash flow positive scenarios
and making solar installations straight forward and simple for property owners seem to be
primary constraints limiting the acceleration of solar installations.
A final note is that community members can also help offset emissions from electric generation
through renewable energy programs such as NC Green Power", Piedmont Electric's community
solar program19, and other organizations that support renewable energy generation. Accessing
15hgE r� . / /a�lros l .core.ener ov /;>lecl / # /re>ul�s /bailclin >sanclinclusE;r Y`— C'arrboro abv -1° (, §ion electric:iEy&zi�r -27510 cur
rentS aEe— Nort.h %20Carolina&la�- 3S9107512N 1,n - 79.081452: 0000002
16 Rob Pinder, personal communication
" The 2016 -17 operating budget has included resources to initiate this exploration.
18 h tEps: / /www.nc >reenpower.or /
19httph: / /pemc coop /save- energ�rrnoney/ renewable- generaE:ion /cornmunitysolar/
data and including these types of programs in emissions accounting could result in measurable
progress towards the climate action goal.
Conclusion #1, electricity use and generation: Reducing emissions from electricity use can be
pursued with a two pronged approach: improved energy efficiency in buildings and accelerated
uptake in renewable energy generation. As mentioned in the section on buildings, reductions in
per capita emissions from the improved energy efficiency is occurring, but at a rate about half as
fast as needed to achieve the 50% reduction goal. Given current constraints, it is unlikely that
solar installations in Carrboro can account for a majority or perhaps even a significant percentage
of the remaining desired reductions in emissions by 2025. At the same time, at a minimum and
with no major intervention, it is likely that small, incremental progress will continue. The
success of the Solarize campaigns demonstrates the potential for more rapid progress, especially
with new state or federal level policy changes and /or innovations to address current financing
challenges.
Food Consumption
The food choices that community members make has an impact on greenhouse gas emissions.
Adopting more plant- based, local, and organic diets is a viable means that individuals can choose
that has an immediate climate mitigation impact. Based on the limited amount of historical
attention to inventorying emissions from food choices and consumption in Carrboro, it is beyond
the scope of this memo to attempt to assess emissions reduction potential associated with
community scale food choices beyond what is discussed above (in "Emissions Estimates from
Household Consumption ") and from the input provided in the plan's recommendations.20
Conclusion #1. Assessing food related emissions associated with community engagement
towards a 50% reduction goal at a community scale will require additional work on the
accounting methods and data sources. The latest draft of the plan includes a section that
addresses this.
Other Recommendations in the Draft Community Climate Action Plan
Additional recommendations in the draft plan pertain primarily to climate adaptation and
resilience through urban forestry, stormwater, and landscape management, but they also relate to
climate mitigation by acknowledging the carbon sequestration benefits of the community forest.
The recommendation relating to increasing the rate of organic waste collection and composting
20 e.g., Scarborough P., Appleby P.N., Mizdrak A., et al. "Dietary greenhouse gas emissions of meat- eaters, fish- eaters,
vegetarians and vegans in the UK". Climatic Change. 2014;125(2):179 -192. This UK study found that the mean GHG emissions
(lbs. CO2e /day) ranged from 15.8 for high meat - eaters to 6.4 for vegans, with progressively lower emissions between these two
being estimated for medium meat eaters, low meat eaters, fish eaters, and vegetarians. There is some uncertainty in extrapolating
a UK study to Carrboro given the different populations and potential for differences in diet.
E
is also relevant to mitigation by reducing emissions associated with waste hauling and methane
emissions from the landfill. Methane is 21 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2;
reducing the amount of organics that end up in a landfill is therefore an important step for
reducing community GHG emissions21,22, and at the same time captures the carbon for use in
improving local soils. Further reductions in waste generated will also be helpful since Carrboro's
solid waste now has to travel to Durham, resulting in a higher transportation footprint. Carrboro
is currently pursuing a solid waste stud Y2' and Orange County is exploring expanded organics
collections through a proposed drop off site at Eubanks Road and a pilot program at the Carrboro
Farmers Market.24 Both of these efforts should result in further reductions in emissions.
Conclusion #1: Since solid waste related emissions are small relative to the total community
emissions, the expected /potential reductions resulting from future changes in solid waste services
will contribute incrementally but not substantially to the 50% reduction goal.
Summarizing Potential Reductions
Current and potential emissions from the above discussion are summarized in Figures 4 and 5.
Figure 4 presents emissions for the 2012 baseline from the community inventory along with
future "business as usual" and 50% reduction scenarios. A "business as usual" transportation
estimate is not included given the difficulty in completing this estimate with currently available
data. Figure 4 graphically depicts the magnitude of changes expected and needed to approach
the CCAP reduction goal for the different sectors and within the context provided by the 2012
inventory data and methodology.
21 "USCG Position Statement: Keeping Organics Out of Landfills." US Composting Council. Accessed April 15, 2015.
htE: : / /composEin >council.or /adrnin /wp- onflen� uploads% 2011 /11 /Kccpin -
Org, anics- OLa-of-Land fills-Position JIg er "f
22 Daigneau, Elizabeth. "Curbside Composting Added to a Major City: Is It Yours ?" Curbside Composting Added to a Major
City: Is It Yours? February 1, 2012. Accessed April 15, 2015. btEp:/ /www. >overnin�.cornJto�aics /enemy- env /g,ov- curbside -
com�oyE:ing,- added- �:o -ma'og r�ciEV.hflml.
23 The bid documents are available at 5
24 A presentation to the Solid Waste Advisory Group by HDR on longer range options is available at
hgEar: / /www.oran >eccnunflync. >ov /delroar61r1engs /solid waste rrlana >crrlent/ SWAG: e /11DR Or(>anicsPresentation Nov4.ndf
10
Figure 4. Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Estimates from 2012 Inventory and Projected for 2025
2.5
2.0
0.5 Ener
Genera Lo
1.0
-1.5
2012 02025 BAU scenario* 0 50% Reduction
* "business as usual" inferring no major changes to status quo.
Figure 5 is based on the household consumption approach from UC- Berkeley researchers and
available data for an "average" Carrboro household. No attempt has been made to forecast these
lifecycle based emissions estimates forward. The estimates and related information do suggest
potential alternative strategies that can be considered with finer resolution than is possible with
data from the community inventory. For example, household emissions can be calculated for
Carrboro that indicate that the lowest ( <$10k) annual income households have about one half of
the footprint of the highest ( >$110k) annual income households. The data and methods have
sufficient detail to offer fairly granular assessments to help an individual household understand
specific elements of their footprint and create a climate action strategy that fits that household.
11
12.0
10.0
M
U
8.0
U
L.
U
6.0
a�
a�
N
0 4.0
2.0
0.0
Figure 5: Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Carrboro
Based on Household Consumption (Average Household *)
Transport Housing Food Goods Services
* 2.3 persons /household with average gross annual household income ($50k) for Carrboro.
+ From lii[ ��:// coolcliz�n.aie.berlceley.ecia.0 calca.nlaior
The online resources (calculators, maps, research) available from the Berkeley researchers' also
offer potentially helpful support with outreach and education.
In summary, this household based data and analysis emphasizes the complexity and many
elements that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions footprints from personal to household to
community scales, and the importance of thinking holistically.
Other Benefits of Climate Action
The previous sections have been focused on the magnitude of emissions and factors around
realizing reduction goals. Appendix B discusses the "co- benefits" of climate action and the
potential for synergies with other community goals and values such as environmental quality,
affordability, social equity, the local economy, and public health. Appendix C presents the
relatively new concept of the "social cost of carbon" which indicates that pursuing the scale of
greenhouse gas reductions recommended in the CCAP in Carrboro has a multimillion dollar
annual implication when linked to global economic consequences.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Board of Aldermen receive this staff memorandum.
12
Community Climate Action Plan
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Saving Energy,
Generating Renewable Energy, and Enhancing Ecosystems
Town of Carrboro, North Carolina
November 11, 2016
BOARD OF ALDERMEN
LYDIA LAVELLE, MAYOR MICHELLE JOHNSON
BETHANY CHANEY DAMON SEILS
JACQUELYN GIST SAMMY SLADE
RANDEE HAVEN- O'DONNELL
With support from the Carrboro Energy and Climate Action Task Force:
Carolyn Buckner, Jeff Herrick, Kathy Kaufman, Jeanette O'Connor, Rob Pinder
Acknowledgments
The Carrboro Planning Board, Environmental Advisory Board, and Transportation Advisory
Board for sponsoring the Fall Forum series on Energy and Climate Action held at the Carrboro
ArtsCenter in 2014 and their review of a draft of this plan.
The Carrboro Board of Aldermen for adopting a proactive climate protection resolution, and
feedback on a draft of this plan.
Those who have worked to develop and support previous greenhouse house gas inventories for
Carrboro and Orange County.
The many people and organizations in the community involved in climate action work.
Lindsay Paydon and Katherine Kershaw for input into drafting of food /dietary related recommendations.
T Ib II e (D f C(D ir) t,e ire t,s
ExecutiveSummary ........................................................................................................ ............................... 1
Introduction................................................................................................................... ...............................
2
BeyondDoom and Gloom ........................................................................................... ..............................3
The Cities for Climate Protection Campaign and the Five Milestone Process ............ ..............................4
The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory .................................................................. ..............................5
Establishing Emissions Reductions Goals .................................................................... ..............................5
TheLocal Climate Action Plan ..................................................................................... ..............................7
CommunityIntegration ................................................................................................... ..............................8
Community Integration Recommendation #1: Create Grass Roots Partnerships to Engage Community
................................................................................................................................... .............................10
Community Integration Recommendation #2: Expand Public Partnerships to More Explicitly Consider
ClimateAction .......................................................................................................... ...............................
12
Community Integration Recommendation #3: Create Green Neighborhood Program .........................14
Community Integration Recommendation #4: Integrate Climate Action with Local Living Economy...
16
Community Integration Recommendation #5: Expand Capacity ............................... .............................17
Community Integration Recommendation #6: Facilitate Low Cost Financing for Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy Projects ....................................................................................... .............................17
Community Integration Recommendation #7: Integrate Climate Action and Social /Equity Initiatives.
19
Building Energy Efficiency Measures ............................................................................. .............................20
Buildings Recommendation #1: 50% Challenge ......................................................... .............................22
Buildings Recommendation #2: Energy Audit /Performance Rating ........................ ...............................
24
Buildings Recommendation #3: Demonstrate /Pursue Energy Performance Beyond Minimum
Requirements for New Development ........................................................................ .............................25
Buildings Recommendation #4: Create Rental Property Task Force and Process ..... .............................26
Buildings Recommendation #5: Create Rental Property Registry/ Certification ...... ...............................
27
Transportation Measures ............................................................................................ ...............................
28
Transportation Recommendation #1: 50% Challenge ............................................... .............................29
Transportation Recommendation #2: Enhance Transit Service ................................ .............................30
Transportation Recommendation #3: Improve Vanpool /Carpool Options ............... .............................31
Transportation Recommendation #4: Further Promote Walking, Biking, Transit ..... .............................31
Transportation Recommendation #5: Limit Idling in School Loading Zones ............. .............................33
Transportation Recommendation #6: Improve Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure .........................34
Renewable Energy Measures ......................................................................................... .............................35
Renewable Energy Recommendation #1: Pursue Community Solar Projects ........... .............................36
Renewable Energy Recommendation #2: Pursue Downtown Geothermal Heating and Cooling ..........
37
Renewable Energy Recommendation #3: Create Rental Property Task Force and Process ...................38
Ecosystem Protection and Enhancement ...................................................................... .............................39
Ecosystem Recommendation #1: Pursue Stormwater Utility .................................... .............................41
Ecosystem Recommendation #2: Evaluate Extent to Which the Deer Population and Climate Change
affect Native Plant Ecosystems .................................................................................. .............................43
Ecosystem Recommendation #3: Accelerate /Expand Organic Waste Collection /Composting .............45
Ecosystem Recommendation #4: Tree Preservation, Protection and Conservation . .............................47
Ecosystem Recommendation #5: Improve Regulations and Community Capacity to Discourage
Invasive Plants and Encourage Native Plants ............................................................ .............................48
Ecosystem Protection and Restoration Challenge #6: Pursue Watershed Restoration Actions to
Protect Local Streams from Changes in Rainfall Due to Climate Change ................ ...............................
50
FoodChoice Measures ................................................................................................... .............................52
Food Choice Recommendation #1: 50% Challenge ................................................. ...............................
53
Food Choice Recommendation #2: Develop Local Dietary Consumption and Associated GHG Profile.
55
Implementation Recommendations .............................................................................. .............................58
Appendix1 ..................................................................................................................... .............................60
Summary of 2016 Public Outreach .......................................................................... ...............................
60
Appendix2 ..................................................................................................................... .............................75
Boulder's Local Climate Action Plan and Climate Commitment ................................ .............................75
Appendix3 ..................................................................................................................... .............................76
How the Jones Household Goes Carbon Free in 10 Years ......................................... .............................76
Appendix4 ..................................................................................................................... .............................79
10 Things You Want to Know about Human Nature if you're Fighting Climate Change ........................79
Appendix5 ..................................................................................................................... .............................83
Energy in the 21st Century: Excerpts from Post Carbon Institute's Energy Primer ... .............................83
Executive Summary
In 2009, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen passed a resolution committing the Town to take steps to
reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that are causing global climate change. In doing so, and through
work leading up to the resolution with other Orange County governments, the Town joined a group of
more than 1000 cities, towns and metropolises around the world who are taking part in the Cities for
Climate Protection Campaign. The campaign follows a 'Five Milestone' process that includes a
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory, establishment of an emissions reduction target,
development and implementation of an action plan to reduce emissions, and monitoring of emissions
reductions measures.
This document expands on previous efforts, with an emphasis on completion of the second milestone —
further articulation of a reduction target, and the third milestone — the drafting of a Local Climate Action
Plan. In 2014, Carrboro developed a plan focusing on the Town's municipal operations. This plan is a
companion and follow up to that effort with an emphasis on measures that the broader community is
asked to take in order to achieve GHG reduction targets. The recommendations offered are intended to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while raising the community's awareness of and involvement in
solutions to global climate change and a post- carbon energy future, adaptation to changes and
enhancement of ecosystem resilience.
A significant recommendation of this report is for the Town and community to adopt a goal of a 50%
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, as supported by a broad community campaign.
Additional recommendations are provided around the themes of community integration, energy
efficiency of buildings, transportation, renewable energy, and ecosystem protection and restoration.
Measures outlined in the Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions not only contribute to overall climate
change mitigation, but can also provide the community with many local benefits such as financial
savings through energy efficiency, the creation of new jobs, improved air quality and public health, and a
healthier forest and streams.
The degree to which the broad campaign advocated for in this plan takes off will depend on many
factors. The following direction is suggested to build momentum: 1) focused attention is needed to
more rapidly reduce energy use in buildings; 2) the Town needs to devote more resources towards
implementing the plan, starting with creating a Sustainability Coordinator position; 3) similarly, the
efforts underway to increase transit, bicycling and pedestrian modes of travel as well as vanpooling,
carpooling, and carsharing need to gain even more traction; 4) innovative efforts are needed to support
residents with limited opportunities for renewable energy; 5) grass roots efforts and new partnerships
need to be fostered; 6) the paradigm for local environmental /ecosystem protection and restoration
needs to expand to consider the stress of climate change; and 7) last not but not least, individuals,
businesses, and in effect the entire community need to take the recommendations in this report to
heart.
1
Introduction
"Recognizing that all human economic activity is a subset of nature's economy and must not degrade its
vitality is the starting point for systemic transformation of the energy system. "'
There is widespread scientific agreement that the increasing quantity of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the
atmosphere is causing temperatures to rise and increasing the frequency and severity of extreme
weather events, and that human activities are the primary cause.' The accumulation of greenhouse
gases is a major threat to the climate stability of the earth. Arguably, no other issue threatens our planet
with such dramatic, far - reaching impacts, and no other issue is so clearly a worldwide problem. The
world's leading scientists predict that, in the absence of radical societal change, global average
temperature will rise from 2.7 to 11 degrees F. within our children's lifetimes. Already, effects of climate
change are being seen, from melting of the Arctic permafrost, to the disappearance of glaciers
worldwide, to rising sea levels around islands and other low -lying areas, and the acidification of oceans.
Erratic weather and extreme events such as droughts, floods, heat waves, avalanches and hurricanes are
becoming more common.
The primary cause of global climate change is the burning of fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal, and
natural gas. These activities release gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that accumulate in the
atmosphere and trap the sun's heat, thereby warming the earth – the so- called "greenhouse effect ".
The greenhouse effect is essential for life on earth, but rapidly increasing levels of greenhouse gases
during the past 200 years are now destabilizing the climate. Average global temperature have already
risen an unprecedented 1 -2 degrees F during this period, and the impacts of emissions that have already
occurred will take decades to cycle through ecosystems. Carbon dioxide concentrations in the
atmosphere have reached their highest level in 160,000 years, and are rising at a rate 500 times higher
than ever before in history.
Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute regarded as one of the world's foremost
energy and climate action experts, says this: "The most important thing to understand about the energy
transition is that it's not optional. Delay would be fatal. It's time to make a plan— however sketchy,
however challenging —and run with it, revising it as we go. "'
In Carrboro, the effects of climate change over the next century are likely to be significant. They may
include the migration of hardwood forests northward to cooler areas. We will have to cope with hotter
summers and more frequent floods, droughts, and intense storms, with more money diverted to repair
damage from these events. Our local ecosystems could experience a broad range of negative trends and
losses, and ecological diversity will likely decline. All of the careful planning, stewardship of beautiful
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2
natural places, promotion of biodiversity, and other crucial work at the local level will be rendered
meaningless if we cannot stave off the worst consequences of climate change. As members of the world
community, we will have to deal with challenges involving food security, human health, and scarce
resources. Humanity is beginning to respond to the unprecedented transition from the industrial era to
the era that is to follow. Local governments and communities can address the challenge and opportunity
of the transition and specifically reducing greenhouse gases in a number of creative ways.
The 2014 Orange County State of the Environment4 report provides a similar message:
"A report focused on Orange County alone also risks underemphasizing global climate change, the most
pressing environmental threat we face. Our use of fossil fuels here, whenever we start a car engine or
run our air conditioners, adds to the accumulation of carbon in the atmosphere that is rapidly
destabilizing our climate. In 2012, leading climate activist and writer Bill McKibben summarized how
close we are to reaching the limits of our carbon budget: Scientists estimate that humans can pour
roughly 565 more gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by midcentury and still have some
reasonable hope of staying below two degrees [Celsius] increase in global temperature. ( "Reasonable,"
in this case, means four chances in five, or somewhat worse odds than playing Russian roulette with a
six - shooter) .... Reaching or surpassing that two degree rise in average global temperatures risks
catastrophic consequences for our ability to grow food, maintain access to drinking water, and generally
perpetuate human civilization as we now know it."
What we're for is leaving behind the current energy economy, which is wasteful, polluting, and
centralized, assumes perpetual growth; and is anchored by nonrenewable fuels. We envision a bold leap
toward a future energy economy that fosters beauty and health; that is resilient because it emphasizes
renewable, community -scale energy generation; that supports durable economies, not growth; and that
is informed by nature's wisdom.'
The previous section presents a stark, sobering, and ominous picture and one that we all need to
acknowledge and recognize. However, only laying out the danger associated with climate change
neglects humanity's capacity, ingenuity, and adaptability. It also can be counterproductive by effectively
triggering a "fight and flight" response, or being received as a judgment for denial and lack of action.
The reality of climate change also presents tremendous opportunity for transition to living in a more
satisfying, resilient, and connected community that is less reliant on fossil fuels. 6 In addition, some
measures are often necessary and /or more effective at the municipal /community level than at other
levels. This plan is intended to inspire this community and others to accelerate and ramp up efforts, and
begin to make significant reductions in the level of climate- changing gases now being produced.
4 htY.:.:
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3
he Cities for ..,, Climate Protec,ti,qn Campa j 12 ji n the Five Milestone Process
The Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) campaign is a global project led by the International Council for
Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), a membership association of local governments dedicated to
addressing global environmental problems through local action. The CCP was established by ICLEI in
1993 at an international summit of municipal leaders. The CCP has engaged many municipal
governments in North Carolina, the U.S and abroad in a worldwide effort to slow the earth's warming.
The CCP campaign follows a 'Five Milestone' process (Figure 1).
Figure 1:
Cities for Climate Protection Five Milestone Climate Action Planning Process.
The size of each circle indicates the relative emphasis in this plan. The darkness indicates the amount of attention
already given to each milestone based on work in Carrboro over the past decade, as discussed in the text.
4
Carrboro collaborated with other jurisdictions in Orange County and ICLEI to complete the first county-
wide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for the baseline year of 2005. In 2011, a UNC Capstone Team
completed a community scale inventory specifically for Carrboro based on data for 2009. Every year
beginning in 2012, the Town has updated the municipal operations inventory, and in 2015, a second
UNC Capstone Team updated the community inventory based on data for 2012 and assisted the Town in
entering the inventory data into the ClearPath software which will help the Town with future climate
action planning steps. These inventories help establish a baseline and guide the community to develop
and implement strategies to mitigate emissions by understanding the sources and quantity of emissions.
They also provide a means to monitor changes over time.
Establis,fti,il inissions ° O 1ff j0f' 5 . O1t 5
The county -wide inventory included an initial attempt to identify potential goals in terms of "tiers" of
"least aggressive" to "most aggressive" climate action strategies. In 2009, the Board of Aldermen
passed a resolution resolving that the Town "will seek, and will facilitate the community at large, to cut
CO2 emissions by its proportion of the amount which is required to stabilize the climate back to <350
ppm of CO2 ..., and asks staff to evaluate how to achieve this target for municipal operations and the
community'. s As part of municipal inventories, annual reduction goals of 2 -7% have been discussed
and the 2014 plan set a goal of a reduction in emissions from municipal operations on the order of 5-
10% within a 2 year time frame. Other notable climate goals are listed in the table below.' In its Clean
Power Plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the power sector, EPA has set a unique target
emissions rate for each state to achieve by 2030. 8 states are asked to reduce emissions by 41% -50%,
24 states are asked to reduce emissions by 31 % -40 %, and the remainder of the states are asked to
reduce emissions by 30% or less. 8 large US cities have signed on to the Carbon Neutrality Alliance.
7 More information on previous inventories is available on the Town's website:
hYYIr. w rboiro orv2l Greenho se Gas invenY�irs
.. / vn i<
8 1990 is when global CO2 concentrations first surpassed 350 ppm. To date, Carrboro emissions have not been
estimated for 1990. Town staff have asked those providing support with completing emissions inventories to
attempt to estimate emissions for 1990. The uncertainties due to the lack of data and difficulty deriving credible
assumptions have proven too great to complete this task. It is certainly hypothetically possible to "backcast"
emissions. For example, some factors could lead to lower per capita emissions such as industry /technology
standards (e.g. more efficient vehicles, buildings, and appliances), more availability of transit and bicycle and
pedestrian infrastructure, economic factors leading to changing behavior (e.g., fuel costs), and growing awareness
and concern. Other factors could lead to higher per capita emissions, such as suburbanization, less affordable
housing locally, and social /cultural norms and consumer choices with higher footprints (e.g., larger vehicles and
homes and less active lifestyles and more emphasis on comfort and convenience) leading to more single
occupancy vehicle trips, vehicle miles traveled (this has been documented) and use of fossil fuels. Assumptions
could also be derived from national /international reports, however the bias that could be introduced is uncertain.
' Appendix 2 outlines a hypothetical example of a "typical" American household becoming carbon neutral in 10
years.
5
Table 1: Examples of Climate Action Goals
Scale
Entity
Reduction Goal
Date
National /Countries
United States
26 - 28% of 2005
2025
Department of
Defense
30% reduction in energy use; 20% of energy
from renewable sources
2020
China
20% of energy from non - fossil sources
2030
States
California
40%
2030
Cities
Seattle
Net zero /climate neutral (community)
2050
Asheville
80% from 2011 (4% /year; municipal)
2030
Chapel Hill
60% of 200610
2050
Durham
30% (community) 50% (municipal) of 2005
2030
Boulder, CO"
80% (community)
2050
Businesses
Weaver Street Market
Net zero via efficiency, rooftop solar,
purchased green power
2020
Utilities
OWASA (2015 draft)
35%/5% reduction in purchased
electricity /natural gas (2020 vs. 2010)
Pursue biogas to energy and renewable
energy projects
2020
Universities
UNC
Net zero /climate neutral
2050
Warren Wilson
College
80% of 2007/8
2020
One purpose of this Plan is to provide a new recommendation on a community scale emissions
reduction goal. Climate action goals can be framed in a variety of ways to best meet a particular entity's
needs and values. The Energy and Climate Action Task Force has recommended that Carrboro's Climate
Action Goal: meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a time scale that is urgent; encourage
growth and shared prosperity; and be able to be measured and certified. With these criteria in mind, the
Task Force has recommended this Carrboro Climate Action Goal:
It is recommended that Carrboro adopt the goal of a 50% reduction in per capita
greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. We recommend a goal to cut the carbon footprint in
half over the next 10 years for the entire community, Town operations, the buildings and
transportation "sectors'; and ultimately each resident and business.
" Reduction is on a per capita basis. Interim goals are 5 percent by 2010, 10 percent by 2015, 20 percent by 2030,
30 percent by 2040; 45 percent by 2045, and 60 percent by 2050.
11 Appendix 1 provides more information on the leadership Boulder is providing with local climate action.
0
This goal is a meaningful reduction in carbon /greenhouse gas pollution that is consistent with the
scientific recommendations calling for the large emission reductions needed to reduce the risk of
dangerous climate change. It is both ambitious and achievable with the support of the Town and
community. It is framed in per- capita terms to recognize that Carrboro continues to attract new
residents and businesses and to make it easy for any individual, business, or organization to measure
and demonstrate their progress toward the goal. Investments in energy efficiency and renewable
energy offer very favorable returns and substantial reductions in energy costs. This can power a virtuous
cycle, where more energy costs are reduced and more income is available for local consumers and
businesses.
It is possible that many people will sense that the goal is too ambitious: too much change too quickly.
Richard Heinberg recently concluded that, globally, we can achieve at least a 40 percent reduction in
carbon emissions in 10 to 20 years." While there are challenges (e.g., dropping petroleum prices,
technology advances allowing for new extraction practices), there are also external factors that will help,
most notably a rising global awareness and conviction. Solar power is accelerating; fuel economy
standards will likely continue to reduce gasoline use. The proliferation of more energy efficient lighting,
appliances and heating /cooling equipment is already reducing household energy use, and transportation
options with smaller emissions footprints are expanding. 12
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The U.S. Department of Energy has developed a "Guide to Community Strategic Energy Planning" that
identifies two types of planning efforts: one focusing on the government operations and one focusing on
the community at large. The former: includes a focus on government buildings, facilities, infrastructure,
and transportation; concentrates on activities for which the government has direct influence — e.g.,
personnel, planning, and budgeting — which means tighter control over implementation. The latter
(community -wide plan) is a broader plan to address activities that: expands the focus to include energy
saving activities across the jurisdiction (residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, and other
sectors) of the broader community; recognizes that, while local government actions can greatly
influence, energize, and leverage effective activities in the broader community, the government has less
direct control over these activities in comparison to a government -only plan. This plan focuses on the
community -wide plan.
12 Appendix 2 provides a hypothetical example of how a household can become carbon neutral in 10 years.
Appendix 3 presents a discussion of how to approach this goal from a social and psychological perspective.
7
The measures recommended below provide the basis for the first comprehensive community scale
climate action plan specifically for Carrboro. They are a companion to measures presented in the 2014
plan that focused on municipal operations. Other local governments and agencies and UNC continue to
be engaged in similar locally relevant efforts13,14,1s To emphasize, the Task Force has recommended
that the Town pursue a two -part climate action strategy. Strategy 1 is to provide leadership by following
through with the recommendations outlined in the 2014 report. The Town of Carrboro efforts to reduce
emissions sets an example for residents, businesses, and institutions. Strategy 2 is to further develop a
community based initiative as detailed in this document and guided by the recommended Carrboro
Climate Action Goal in tandem with a goal to protect and restore local ecosystems. Details for how to
pursue these broader goals is provided in the following sections, starting with the critical element of the
mobilization of the Carrboro community in support of the goals of this plan.
Community Integration
"Local" climate action planning has important but limited influence within a personal to global
continuum (Table 1). The collective choices, behaviors, norms, requirements, and plans and agreements
at lesser and greater social scales than that of a town of —20k people arguably have greater influence on
GHG than the municipal /community scale. A very large share of the GHG footprint in the community
occurs because of the collective impact of private decisions made by residents and businesses for which
the Town has very limited involvement and oversight, and also within a global social context and the
constraints of state, federal, and international laws, regulations, agreements and corporate (large scale)
decisions. In terms of other levels of organization and governance and how they interact with
community scale climate action planning, the following are important (and in some cases unique) points
in Carrboro and indicate the Town's interdependence with many other entities in pursuing climate
action planning:
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0
1) The Chapel Hill - Carrboro City School system and OWASA both have separate policy, fiscal, and
administrative processes from the Town, and therefore, different boards and staff. They also
have larger emissions, facilities and operating budgets than Carrboro has, and therefore, an
ability to have a greater influence on emissions reductions;
2) Transit is a public service that has the ability to significantly mitigate emissions. Chapel Hill
Transit is a cooperative effort between Carrboro, Chapel Hill and UNC; GoTriangle is a multi -
county /regional transit authority serving over a million people;
3) Currently, Carrboro on its own has very limited influence on larger electricity and natural gas
utilities. Duke Energy provides electrical service to over 90% of Carrboro. Carrboro is also
served by Piedmont Electric Membership Cooperative, which buys its electricity from Duke for
resale. PSNC is the local natural gas provider. This is in contrast to local governments operating
municipal utilities.
4) Carrboro's largest emissions sector is buildings, with most building emissions being residential,
and most of the residential building sector being non -owner occupied. Oversight by the North
Carolina Utilities Commission, management by the above utilities, and regulation by building
codes (which are established at state /federal levels) are strong non - market /public sector drivers
that influence emissions from buildings. Landowner and landlord management and decisions
are strong private sector drivers. Social /cultural norms influence both public and private
sectors.
5) The Town has very limited oversight of Homeowners Associations (HOAs) (less in fact than the
state of North Carolina). Carrboro did recently update regulations to limit new HOAs ability to
constrain an individual homeowner's desire to pursue sustainability measures.
Table 1: Local Climate Action Planning is One Layer in a Continuum 16
Organizational Scale
General Scale
Climate Action
Examples
(population)
"Primary Domain" Examples
Personal
1 person
Personal choices (e.g., dietary, housing, transportation,
vocation, financial, consumer)
Household /family
—2 -10 people
"Home economics" (e.g., housing, transportation,
landscaping /gardening, financial, consumer)
Neighborhoods, small
—10 -100
Small organization organizing, management, fossil fuel
businesses, clubs,
people
divestment
nonprofits, congregations
Schools, co -ops, larger clubs,
—100 -1000
Business /organization planning and management; fossil
businesses, congregations,
people
fuel divestment
corporations
16 This table does not fully address continuums of access to capital and decision making authority, nor to
sociological and cultural dimensions; all add complexity. The point of this table is to illustrate that climate action
transcends all scales, and to help define the "space" in which community scale climate action planning occurs.
0
Small towns, colleges, co-
— 1k -10k
Sustainability plans; land use and transportation; local
ops
people
living economy; fossil fuel divestment
Towns, small utilities,
— 10k -100k
Local climate action plans; land use and transportation;
universities
people
local living economy; fossil fuel divestment
Cities, medium utilities,
— 100k -1M
Local climate action plans; land use, transit /transportation;
counties
people
local living economy; fossil fuel divestment
Regions, states, large
^'1M -10M
Transit /transportation /utility policy and regulation; State
utilities /utility commissions
people
law; Building Code; fossil fuel divestment
Nations, international
— >10M
Climate summits /agreements; carbon pricing; IPCC;
people
building code; federal laws; trade agreements;
multinational corporate policy; fossil fuel divestment
6) At a municipal scale, Carrboro's "primary domain" or area of most effective focus for local
climate action planning could be in partnership with organizations and entities operating at a
similar scale. Similarly, for work in the community, it is important to establish initiatives and
measures that work at the appropriate scale, and to bridge gaps across the different scales.
7) The community sector accounts for 93% of greenhouse gas emissions within Carrboro; the
remaining 7% comes from local government operations. Significant community buy -in in every
aspect of this plan is essential for emissions reduction and climate change mitigation.
Recommendations are offered in this section that focus on grassroots /neighborhood scale efforts and
enhanced Town and community capacity for supporting a variety of climate actions. The
recommendations are integrative in that they apply to all of the other recommendations provided, and
are focused on community enhancement and participation.
: uu a U11i e Grass Roots Partners i
Create new Grass Roots Partnerships and Engage Community to be a Part of the Solution
Widespread community participation is needed to meet the emissions reduction and climate change
mitigation goals of this plan. Carrboro is fortunate to have many local groups already involved in
environmental outreach and climate action. In addition, many successful models for community
engagement in climate action can be adapted and used here. While these are mostly grassroots efforts,
leadership is needed to coordinate, adapt, promote, and sustain efforts over the long term.
10
Revised draft (BK Dec 5, 2016
This is another in a series of articles by the Orange County Commission for the Environment
(CFE). Each article highlights an environmental issue of interest to the residents of Orange
County. The CFE is a volunteer advisory board to the Board of County Commissioners.
Additional information can be found in the Orange County State of the Environment 2014 report
at r /commission for the environment.php
Climate Change (Part 1 of 2)
Orange County Commission for the Environment
Evidence
Our climate is changing say 98% of climate scientists. Since 1950, many observed
changes are unprecedented. These include atmosphere and ocean warming, winter snow
cover decreasing, Arctic sea ice decreasing, sea level rising, increased melting of Alpine
glaciers, increased atmospheric water vapor, and timing of seasonal events (earlier thaws,
later frosts). Accompanying these changes are extreme rainfall events and more severe
drought.
Average global surface temperature has risen about 1.5° F in the past century. The
past decade was the warmest over the past 136 years. In the Northern Hemisphere, 1983-
2012 appears to be the warmest 30 -year period over the last 1,400 yrs. Sixteen of the past
18 months were the hottest on record —where the average temperature in July 2016 was
1.5° F hotter than the average July for the years 1950 -1980. These temperatures could be
the new normal in a decade.
Global ocean temperatures have steadily increased since 1950, causing the ocean to
expand— contributing to sea level rise. Over this period rates of sea level rise have been
greater than the average rate during the previous 2,000 years. Over the last two decades
the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have been melting as have most Alpine glaciers. If
the Greenland ice sheet fully melts, it would cause a global average sea level rise of about
23 feet.
Cause and Effect
Human influence on climate change is clear. Recent anthropogenic emissions of
greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the highest in history —they are the reason for the recent
rapid rate of change. GHGs have increased to levels unseen in the last 800,000 yrs. During
Revised draft (BK Dec 5, 2016
that time, GHGs and temperature moved in lock step controlled by earth's orbit around the
sun. However, orbital changes are not behind today's global warming —our current orbit
indicates we should be cooling not warming! Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) has
increased approximately 40% since the 1700s, from 280 ppm (parts per million) to today's
400 ppm. The optimum CO2 level is 350 ppm or less.
Ocean acidification is evil companion of climate change. The ocean absorbs
atmospheric CO2, leading to its increased acidification, which is currently 30% more acid
than 300 years ago (a drop in pH from 8.2 to 8.1). The ocean's ecosystem will begin
crashing when pH falls below 7.8. As acidification worsens, it's more difficult for corals to
construct reefs and mollusks to calcify their shells. Reef building is particularly vulnerable
to climate change and current loss a sign of that change. If current trends continue, all
coral reefs will cease to grow and start dissolving over the next 50 years. Over the last 30
years Australia's Great Barrier Reef has declined by 50 %.
Models
Scientists use models to test hypotheses, make predictions, and frame new
questions. Models are tested by replicating observed data. When Global Circulation
Models (GCMs) do a good job of replicating past and current observations, scientists have
increased confidence that models can forecast the future. GCMs are able replicate the more
rapid warming seen since 1950 as well as short -term cooling after recent volcanic
eruptions (Mount Pinatubo, 1991). GCMs also predict many of the extreme events we are
experiencing, such as major flooding, and extended heat waves and drought.
GCMs tell us about the drivers of large, sustained changes in global temperature
observed over the last century. Models using only natural forcings (solar variation and
volcanic activity) show essentially no temperature increase over the last 100 yrs. But when
anthropogenic effects are included the GCM fit with observed data is very good. To
successfully mimic climate behavior over the past century the models must include CO2-
driven warming.
Part 2 will discuss how climate change in the geologic past informs us about climate
change today.
Revised draft (BK Dec 5, 2016
This is another in a series of articles by the Orange County Commission for the Environment
(CFE). Each article highlights an environmental issue of interest to the residents of Orange
County. The CFE is a volunteer advisory board to the Board of County Commissioners.
Additional information can be found in the Orange County State of the Environment 2014 report
at r /commission for the environment.php
Climate Change (Part 2 of 2)
Orange County Commission for the Environment
Paleoclimate
Climate change in the distant past informs us about climate change today; that is, it
shows that CO2 drove climate change then as now. In fact, there is a strong link between
atmospheric CO2 and temperature throughout the Phanerozoic Eon, the past 550 million
years of earth history beginning with the Cambrian Period, a time of rapid diversification of
multi - celled life. During warm periods CO2 was high and when CO2 was low, long -lived and
widespread continental glaciation prevailed.
Perhaps the best ancient analog of modern climate change is the Paleocene - Eocene
Thermal Maximum (PETM), a 200,000 -year period of natural global warming that took
place 56 million years ago. The earth warmed approximately 11 OF over 20,000 years.
Today the globe is warming at least 10 times faster!
Because the PETM involved very rapid warming caused by an onslaught of GHGs,
the event can be used to predict potential effects of modern climate change. Among these
effects are: ocean acidification and circulation reversal, higher ocean temperatures and sea
levels, dissolution of calcifiers' shells, coral bleaching, and extinction events.
What is evident is that when CO2 changes were big and rapid (like today) the
consequences were catastrophic - -in some cases causing mass extinction. At least eight
major mass extinctions have been recognized. During these events a significant proportion
of the world's biota ( >50 %) were eliminated in geologically short amounts of time on the
order of tens of thousands to less than 1 million years. It can take millions of years for
biodiversity to recover. These extinctions occurred during times of major flood basalt
(lava) eruptions releasing huge volumes of CO2 accompanied by anoxia (oxygen deficiency),
euxinia (sulfidic conditions), and acidification of the surface ocean. One of the
Revised draft (BK Dec 5, 2016
consequences was that reef building stopped, resulting in reef gaps in the geologic record.
Such gaps mark at least four mass extinctions.
The largest mass extinctions are: end of Permian (252 Ma), end of Triassic (200 Ma),
and end of Cretaceous (66 Ma). They coincided with the three largest regional outpourings
of flood basalt. The Permian extinction was the biggest in history wiping out an estimated
90% of all life and lasted no more than 200,000 years, a geologic instant. The subsequent
recovery of biodiversity took about 50 million years. Global warming and mass extinction
were already underway when an asteroid impact dramatically ended the Cretaceous and
the dinosaurs, paving the way for mammals to take over and ultimately leading to the
origin of Homo sapiens.
What emerges from the geologic record is that mass extinction has occurred
multiple times and is likely to occur again. In fact, extinction is underway now and has been
termed the Anthropocene extinction, beginning when human activity started to impact
global earth systems. Only the starting point is in question. Many point to the start of the
industrial revolution. Others would start the clock earlier during the Pleistocene (Ice Age).
Humans caused the extinction of the Ice Age megafauna and Neanderthals in a geologic
instant but it was too gradual to be perceived by the perpetrators. Right now humans are
causing extinction. The contemporary extinction rate greatly exceeds the naturally
occurring background rate. Whether humankind continues on a path to mass extinction or
one similar to the many lesser extinction events that punctuated the Phanerozoic remains
to be seen. Homo sapiens as the agent of extinction risks being one of its victims.
ORANGF3 COUNT
�5 ,
Department off. Environment,
Agriculture, Parks & Recreation
MEMORANDUM
December 6, 2016
TO: Commission for the Environment
FROM: Rich Shaw, Land Conservation Manager
SUBJECT: Election of Officers
The Commission for the Environment is scheduled to hold its annual election of officers
(Chair and Vice Chair) as specified in the CFE policies and procedures.
Section III of the procedures is provided below for your information and guidance:
SECTION III:
MEMBERSHIP
A.
Authority ...
B.
Composition ...
C.
Officers
1. The elected officers of the Commission for the Environment shall consist of
a Chair and a Vice Chair.
D. Election Procedures and Terms of Office
1. The Officers shall be elected by the Commission for the Environment from
among its members at the regular meeting in November of each year. They
shall take office at the following regular meeting.
2. The candidate for each office receiving a majority vote of the Commission
for the Environment members present shall be declared elected.
3. The officers shall be elected for a term of one year. They shall be eligible to
succeed themselves for not more than three consecutive terms.
4. Appointment to serve for any actual period of one (1) year or more will
constitute a full term. Appointment for any actual period of less than one
(1) year will constitute a partial or unexpired term.
M,4T1UII 1 I and P"mlUI IllUII ° I RESOURCES S II „M�/Y' ally'; N
Orange County Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks & Recreation
PO Box 8181, Hillsborough, NC 27278
Phone: (919) 245 -2510 Fax: (919) 644 -3351
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MEMORANDUM
To: Orange County Board of Commissioners
From: Orange County Commission for the Environment
Date: November 15, 2016
Subject: Draft UDO Text Amendment for Flexible Minor Subdivisions
The Orange County Commission for the Environment (CFE) has reviewed the draft text
amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) sections for subdivision and
flexible development to allow for Flexible Minor Subdivisions.
The CFE appreciates the opportunity to comment on this proposal. Our ability to review and
comment was facilitated by an October 10 presentation to our board by Patrick Mallett and
Rachel McCook of the Planning and Inspections Department. The CFE learned the proposed
changes would a) increase the maximum number of lots eligible for minor subdivisions from
five lots to 12 lots if the Flexible Development option is chosen, and b) allow for smaller lots
and larger areas of common open space and other environmentally sensitive lands within
those subdivisions, but with no net increase in density.
The benefits of clustering residences include reduced land disturbance and built -upon area,
reduced infrastructure costs, less impervious surface and better stormwater management,
increased open space, and increased wildlife habitat. The clustering of development can also
help to maintain open space buffers between homes and neighboring agricultural uses, which
also helps to protect Orange County's rural character.
The CFE supports the intention to promote flexible designs that preserve more open space
(minimum of 33 %) without reducing the allowable number of home sites in a subdivision.
Flexible design would also encourage the connection of common open space within
subdivisions with existing and planned public trails, greenways, sidewalks, and public streets.
The CFE recommends that any clustering of individual off -site septic systems be
required to meet or exceed state guidelines for protecting surface and groundwater.
The CFE recommends that the Planning Board and its staff consider adding a provision
that would encourage the alignment of open spaces for neighboring subdivisions,
thereby resulting in a larger contiguous area of open space.
The CFE also encourages the Planning Board and its staff to allow the common open
space to be used for renewable energy installations where feasible, such as a community
solar energy array, as long as the installation avoids sensitive resource areas.
Thank you for bringing this matter to the CFE for discussion and feedback.
cc: Tom Davis, Patrick Mallett, Rich Shaw
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Sent: Monday, November 28, 2016 3:25 PM
To: EarthSciTeach
Subject: [earthsciteach] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has published a new
report, 'Climate Change Indicators in the United States, 2016 (Fourth Edition)'.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has published a new report,
`The Earth's climate is changing. Temperatures are rising, snow and rainfall
patterns are shifting, and more extreme climate events — like heavy rainstorms and
record high temperatures — are already happening. Many of these observed changes
are linked to the rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in our
atmosphere, caused by human activities. EPA partners with more than 40 data
contributors from various government agencies, academic institutions, and other
organizations to compile a key set of indicators related to the causes and effects of
climate change.'
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Source: Climate Change Indicators Team
Climate Change Division
1J.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
1200 Pennsylvania Ave NW / Washington, DC 20460
MARRAKECH ACTION PROCLAMATION
FOR OUR CLIMATE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
We, Heads of State, Government, and Delegations, gathered in Marrakech, on African soil, for the High -Level Segment of the
22nd Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 12th
Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, and the 1St Session of the
Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, at the gracious invitation of His Majesty
the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, issue this proclamation to signal a shift towards a new era of implementation and action
on climate and sustainable development.
Our climate is warming at an alarming and unprecedented rate and we have an urgent duty to respond.
We welcome the Paris Agreement, adopted under the Convention, its rapid entry into force, with its ambitious goals, its inclusive
nature and its reflection of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of
different national circumstances, and we affirm our commitment to its full implementation.
Indeed, this year, we have seen extraordinary momentum on climate change worldwide, and in many multilateral fora. This
momentum is irreversible — it is being driven not only by governments, but by science, business and global action of all types
at all levels.
Our task now is to rapidly build on that momentum, together, moving forward purposefully to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
and to foster adaptation efforts, thereby benefiting and supporting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its
Sustainable Development Goals.
We call for the highest political commitment to combat climate change, as a matter of urgent priority.
We call for strong solidarity with those countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and underscore the need to
support efforts aimed to enhance their adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability.
We call for all Parties to strengthen and support efforts to eradicate poverty, ensure food security and to take stringent action
to deal with climate change challenges in agriculture.
We call for urgently raising ambition and strengthening cooperation amongst ourselves to close the gap between current
emissions trajectories and the pathway needed to meet the long -term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement.
We call for an increase in the volume, flow and access to finance for climate projects, alongside improved capacity and
technology, including from developed to developing countries.
We the Developed Country Parties reaffirm our USD $100 billion mobilization goal.
We, unanimously, call for further climate action and support, well in advance of 2020, taking into account the specific needs
and special circumstances of developing countries, the least developed countries and those particularly vulnerable to the
adverse impacts of climate change.
We who are Parties to the Kyoto Protocol encourage the ratification of the Doha Amendment.
We, collectively, call on all non -state actors to join us for immediate and ambitious action and mobilization, building on their
important achievements, noting the many initiatives and the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action itself, launched
in Marrakech.
The transition in our economies required to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement provides a substantial positive
opportunity for increased prosperity and sustainable development.
The Marrakech Conference marks an important inflection point in our commitment to bring together the whole international
community to tackle one of the greatest challenges of our time.
As we now turn towards implementation and action, we reiterate our resolve to inspire solidarity, hope and opportunity for
current and future generations.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - TUESDAY, NOV. 15, 2016
CONTACT: Dr. Sandy Stewart, Director, Research Stations Division
919 - 707 -3236; sandy.stewart(cr�.ncagr.gov
N.C. Industrial Hemp Commission begins work
RALEIGH — The N.C. Industrial Hemp Commission recently held its first meeting, officially beginning work
to establish rules governing a pilot program for industrial hemp production in North Carolina.
The commission's first order of business was to elect Dr. Tom Melton, of N.C. State University as its
chairman. Melton is deputy director of N.C. Cooperative Extension and leader of the Agriculture and
Natural Resources Program. The commission came about following congressional changes to U.S. farm
policies that allowed institutions of higher education and state departments of agriculture to participate in
research - focused pilot programs for industrial hemp production.
Interest in the crop has grown because industrial hemp has numerous uses as a fiber and food crop.
Plant extracts also have been reported to have pharmaceutical benefits. Industrial hemp is distinguished
from marijuana by having less than 0.3 percent of the psychoactive chemical known as THC, compared
to 3 to 15 percent or higher in marijuana. Hemp is not new to North Carolina. It was cultivated in the
1800s and early 1900s primarily for its fiber.
In 2015, the N.C. General Assembly passed Senate Bill 313 calling for the creation of the Industrial Hemp
Commission. The commission was specifically charged with developing rules and a licensing structure so
the state would stay within federal laws.
"Our goal is to have a 2017 industrial hemp crop, but there are many, many steps we must work through
before we can even put seed in the ground," said Dr. Sandy Stewart, vice chairman of the commission
and director of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Research Stations Division.
"While the initial work has begun, farmers need to realistically understand that there are still significant
bridges to cross between now and May of 2017, when planting could begin. That includes navigating
import protocols to obtain seeds, since they would likely have to come from outside the United States."
To begin the process for obtaining seeds for a first planting, NCDA &CS Plant Industry Director Vernon
Cox has registered the department as an importer with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
The commission will next focus on drafting rules for a system to permit growers to take part in the pilot
program. By law, commission members must represent agriculture, ag research or law enforcement, with
ag- related members appointed by Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler, research - related members
appointed by Gov. Pat McCrory and law enforcement members appointed by Senate President Pro
Tempore Phil Berger and Speaker of the House Tim Moore.
Commission members by appointment are:
• Troxler appointees: Guy Carpenter, an agribusiness and marketing professional from New
Hanover County; Billy McLawhorn, a crop consultant from Craven County; Fen Rascoe, a farmer
from Bertie County; Pat Short, a farmer from Guilford County; and Stewart.
• McCrory appointees: Melton, NCSU; Dr. Guochen Yang, N.C. A &T State University;
• Senate appointee: Cary Police Chief Tony Godwin;
• House appointee: Sheriff Sam Page, Rockingham County.
Many groups attended the commission's first meeting, including representatives from BioRegen
Innovations Coop, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, the N.C. Industrial Hemp Association, N.C.
Hemp Industries Association and hemp - related businesses. To be notified of upcoming meetings or other
commission - related news, go to www.ncagr.gov /hemp/ and provide email information in the mailing list
block.
Dana Beach, South Carolina Coastal Conservation League
November 14, 2016
Foxes vs. hedgehogs. The environmental meaning of President Trump.
Prospects for the next four years.
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The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.
Archilochus, by way of Isaiah Berlinger
Folks,
Like most of America, I've been fascinated by the discussion about the meaning of
Donald Trump's election. I divide the commentators into two categories: hedgehogs
and foxes.
Hedgehogs have discerned one big theme from the Trump victory. A popular example
is the mea culpa theory: Progressive elites ignored real problems created by a growing
inequality of income and wealth, and thus failed to appreciate the resentment rural
residents and lower income people harbor toward the eastern liberal power structure.
According to this view, the solution is to engage with this disaffected constituency so
they will buy in to the progressive agenda.
Another theme is the desensitization of Americans to candidate Trump's violations of
basic civility and his callous disregard for "our shared moral ecology," as David Brooks
writes. This perspective expresses astonishment that such a large percentage of the
population appears not only to tolerate, but even embrace, the crude, misogynistic,
racial slurs that punctuated the campaign.
To these interpretations I say, yes, to a degree, but I would add a handful of more
circumstantial explanations — like an especially flawed and vulnerable Democratic
candidate, gender bias, James Comey, WikiLeaks, the electoral college...
I suspect the hedgehogs have fallen prey to what Daniel Kahneman calls the
coherence fallacy — the inclination to try to make more sense out of complicated
circumstances than actually exists. We are all subject to the urge to unify and simplify
the world, especially when the explanation conforms to our preconceptions and
personal narratives.
In the case of Donald Trump, given the choice between unity and multiplicity, I vote for
the fox.
As important as it is to understand the factors that led to Donald Trump's election, it is
even more important to examine as objectively and honestly as possible the prospects
for the next four years.
First, there is a great deal we simply cannot predict. It seems unlikely that President
Trump will pursue many of the high profile causes he promoted during the campaign.
My guess is that immigration reform will be vastly less radical than he has proposed,
and that he will not substantially modify international trade agreements. The business
community and the US Chamber of Commerce, whose core positions on these
subjects conflict with Trump's, are simply too powerful to overcome.
Who knows about health care?
I am certain, though, that Trump will aggressively attempt to dismantle environmental
laws and programs. There could not be a worse time for America to reverse course to
curb greenhouse gas emissions, to secure wildlife habitat, to protect clean water and
air, and to preserve wetlands.
Yet candidate Trump made it abundantly clear that this is exactly what he intends to
do. This article from the New York Times by veteran environmental journalist Andrew
Revkin presents a thorough and thoughtful summary of the situation, (with a few
notably optimistic observations.)
Perhaps most important, President Trump's advisers and potential cabinet members
are unified in their disdain for environmental safeguards and conservation
investments. Although Donald Trump may have only modest loyalty to the ideology of
the right wing, that is absolutely not the case with these potential cabinet members.
As Revkin and this article from Science report, the head of the Environmental
Protection Agency transition team is Myron Ebell. Ebell comes from the Competitive
Enterprise Institute, an organization that has consistently presented a biased and
misleading perspective on the science of climate change, denying both the extent and
causes of global warming and challenging the importance of acting to reduce
greenhouse gasses.
i
M Fill
Perhaps the most important climate initiative enacted by the Obama administration is
the clean power plan. Trump has pledged to terminate the program. (As I mentioned
last week, South Carolina is well positioned to comply with and benefit from this
program.)
President Trump has also promised to pull the US out of the recent Paris climate
agreement, the goal of which is to hold global warming to 2 degrees Celsius or less.
As a reminder of the seriousness of the situation, here are three articles that illustrate
the perilous condition the planet is in and underscore the urgency of action.
The first, from the New York Times, reports that the World Meteorological Society has
announced that the past five years have been the warmest on record, with 2015 the
hottest during that period. 2016 is likely to break that record.
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The second article, from the Washington Post, reports on the global die -off of coral
reefs precipitated by a warming ocean and predicts the extensive economic and social
Impacts. www.washingtonpostc om/newsfener y :gpyi gpp22nt8w f2 16f11f � -death-of-
coral -re efs-cou Id -be -devastating - or-m il I ions-of- umans/
The third article, from the Post and Courier, reports on the wildfires burning across
western North Carolina, a result of a prolonged drought, which has been paired with
more severe, intense rainfall as a result of a warmer climate.
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But the threats from this administration are not limited to reversing progress on global
warming. Public lands are also at risk. Congress and prior administrations have
periodically threatened to sell important public properties, including pieces of the
Francis Marion National Forest.
This will almost certainly escalate. Names that have been mentioned for appointment
to Secretary of Interior, the agency responsible for the stewardship of America's vast
system of public land, include oilman Forrest Lucas and former governor of Alaska,
Sarah Palin.
Among the most important natural assets in South Carolina are the state's extensive
freshwater wetlands, most of which are on the coast. South Carolina has lost fewer
wetlands since European settlement than most states in the country.
Candidate Trump campaigned against wetland regulations and vowed to reduce these
protections.
What are we to make of all of these threats? First, we need to renew our support for
the national organizations that have led the way for the past few decades. We will be
fighting a rear guard action in this arena.
Here are links to the Environmental Defense Fund — www.edf.or, and the Natural
Resources Defense Council — www.nrdc.or, two of the leading groups working on
federal and international environmental policy.
Here is a link to the Wilderness Society - www.wilderness.or one of the premier
organizations focusing on public lands.
These are not the only groups doing important work on federal policy and international
agreements. The Sierra Club - www.sierraclub.or , Greenpeace -
www.reenpeace.or, the Union of Concerned Scientists - www.ucsusa.or, and Bill
McKibben's global climate action group, 350.or - www.350.or, are also on the front
line. We'll need the whole team in Washington over the next four years.
Second, we need to understand that any forward progress over the next four years will
not come from Washington. Instead, it will occur at the state and local levels.
Fortunately, in South Carolina many environmental causes have bipartisan support.
This is especially true for land conservation.
We have escaped the intense polarization that has characterized the federal debate.
This is not to say that we have an environmental majority in Columbia. But the
challenge is not as much one of partisanship as it is of generally building a broader
coalition for conservation.
Now, (finally), I'll indulge my own inner hedgehog. I think underlying the Trump
phenomenon is the increasing detachment people have from their own
communities. Instead, immersed in a vast sea of electronic media, they are confronted
with a steady stream of ideologically loaded global abstractions. Thus detached, they
become vulnerable to the sort of simplistic, partisan signaling that characterized this
presidential campaign.
The solution, I think, is to reconnect locally — to engage in local initiatives. (Think
Growood Carolina... ) It is on this scale, one that humans are evolutionarily designed
to understand, that practical, tangible community goals (establishing a functional public
bus system ... protecting farmland ... improving neighborhood schools) trump (so to
speak) ideology and party.
I'll admit "localism" is no panacea. There's plenty of rancor over local issues, but the
path to progress is clearer, and individuals can have a much greater impact.
And I'm not suggesting giving up on the national scene. But I think federal policies are
more comprehensible when we view them through the perspective of our experiences
in our own communities.
So thus armed, let's go forth this week and change our world for the better!
Dana