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From 1990 to 2000, Ann Arbor’s greenhouse gas emissions increased 17%, according to a study by a team of University of Michigan graduate students. The increase was chiefly in electricity and transportation: the average Ann Arbor resident in 2000 drove 15% more miles and used 19% more electricity, while per capita natural gas use remained relatively steady. Ongoing City initiatives help mitigate Ann Arbor’s greenhouse gas emissions, but total emissions are still increasing.
Source: University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and the Environment graduate research project |
In May 2006, City Council passed a resolution establishing an aggressive greenhouse gas reduction goal of 20% below 2000 levels by 2015, in addition to renewable energy goals for municipal operations and the community as a whole. Ann Arbor cannot meet this 20% greenhouse gas reduction goal entirely through staff efforts; we need your help.
What are greenhouse gas emissions?
Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are often called greenhouse gases. Some greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide occur naturally and are emitted to the atmosphere through natural processes and human activities. Other greenhouse gases are created and emitted solely through human activities. The principal greenhouse gases that enter the atmosphere because of human activities are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and flourinated gases.
How do greenhouse gas emissions affect the Ann Arbor environment?
Ann Arbor is expected to be 5-10 degrees warmer in the winter and 7-13 degrees warmer in the summer by the end of the 21st century. Ann Arbor will experience more frequent hot days (in excess of 90 degrees) and extreme heat days (in excess of 97 degrees). By the end of this century, the climate of Southeast Michigan may resemble present day northern Arkansas in summer with winters that feel like those typically experienced in Ohio. Along with more frequent heat events comes increased heat-related illness (fainting, cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, etc.). Precipitation in Ann Arbor is also predicted to be more frequent in winter and less so in the summer. Average annual precipitation is not likely to change significantly, but as temperatures rise greater evaporation is expected to occur. As a result, Ann Arbor will likely see drier soils and more droughts. It is important to note that some changes that will be experienced here in Ann Arbor will likely occur slowly, over many decades.
Sources: Union of Concerned Scientists
City Initiatives
Although the United States is not participating in the Kyoto Protocol nor regulating greenhouse gases at a national level, Ann Arbor has decided that it is in both our current and future generations’ best interest to lessen our impact. Ann Arbor joined the Great Lakes Climate Policy Coordination Project; is one of over 400 cities that have signed the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement; and is one of more than 60 U.S. and 650 worldwide cities that have joined ICLEI's Cities for Climate Protection.
The first step in addressing climate change is to figure out where we stand today. In 2003, a team of SNRE masters students completed a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Strategy for the City of Ann Arbor (Executive Summary or Full Report, both pdfs). The masters team documented Ann Arbor's 1990 greenhouse gas emissions to be equivalent to 1,951,858 metric tons of CO 2 (MTCO 2e or MMTCE). The report identified 922,619 MTCO 2e in cumulative emission reductions from 1991-2002. Among the projects that contribute to ongoing emissions reductions are:
- Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project: 50,000 MTCO 2e annually
- getDowntown Program: 10,000 MTCO 2e annually
- Biodiesel in City Vehicles: 390 MTCO 2e annually
- Green Lights Program: 300 MTCO 2e annually
- Upgraded traffic signals to light emitting diodes (LEDs): 980 MTCO 2e annually
Along the way to achieving zero net greenhouse gas emissions we will first have to reach Council’s goal of 20% below 2000 emissions in 2015. If we achieve this 20% reduction, we will be roughly 8% below our 1990 emissions, which was the target set forth in the Kyoto Protocol and the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement .
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