A new North Carolina climate plan outlines actions to help cut greenhouse gas pollution by nearly two-thirds by 2030 — surpassing a state goal and meeting scientists' recommendations for how to avoid the worst effects of global warming.
The state is already on pace to cut emissions just over 40 percent from 2005 levels. But the steps outlined in the new plan, created as part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act, would cut pollution even more which traps heat.
If sustained over the coming decades, the measures would also bring the state closer to zeroing out its climate footprint by mid-century, though officials stress that doing so would require “significant will, funding and effort.”
It was completed earlier this month after weeks of webinars, community meetings and other forms of public feedback Priority Climate Action Plan it covers six sectors of the state's economy: transport, electricity, buildings, industry, waste and land. The action items are “implementation ready,” officials say, and are not dependent on new laws or state policies.
By far, the biggest opportunity for reducing pollution is in the construction sector. Increasing support for low-income weatherization assistance, energy efficiency upgrades in government buildings and other measures to reduce energy consumption per square foot could account for 60% of the pollution reductions expected by 2030.
“The building sector is an area with a lot of low-hanging fruit that hasn't been widely discussed to date,” said Sara Edwards, a spokeswoman for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, which spearheaded the action plan.
Edwards noted the state's 2009 housing code, which has been frozen until 2031 thanks to a law passed last year. “Even the new housing stock coming online is not as energy efficient as it could be,” he said.
Many older commercial and public buildings lack modern lighting and energy management systems, he added. “Government service buildings alone have identified more than $200 million in energy conservation projects awaiting implementation funding,” he said.
“The same types of projects could be applied to public universities and community colleges, as well as schools and local government buildings, resulting in significant ongoing savings in [state] taxpayers,” Edwards said.
Phasing out the direct burning of fossil fuels in buildings, such as from gas furnaces, could achieve another 36 million metric tons of emissions, nearly a quarter of the cuts.
Recommendations in the other five areas combined could result in one-fifth of the reductions, or a total of 29 million metric tons of carbon dioxide or the equivalent.
In the transportation sector, currently the state's largest source of greenhouse gases, priority steps include facilitating non-car transportation options and increased deployment of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.
To curb emissions from electric utilities, the plan focuses on boosting solar panels on homes, municipal properties and other small institutions, complementing a state law that requires Duke to ramp up greater investments in renewable energy.
The plan also outlines programs to increase industrial efficiency, better capture methane gas from landfills, and restore and protect peatlands and forests, vital to their ability to sequester and store carbon.
North Carolina's Department of Environmental Quality joined 44 other states in submitting the priority climate action plan, according to announcement this week from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Charlotte, the Triangleand the Eastern Band of Cherokees were among nearly 200 metropolitan areas and tribes across the country that also submitted their own plans.
The documents lay the groundwork for the next phase of the federal grant program to reduce climate pollution. Guided by the plans, tribes, states and major metropolitan areas will now work to apply for $4.6 billion in competitive grants for implementation.
As the Biden administration scrambles to get the Inflation Act funds this year, the deadline for those proposals is April 1.
Meanwhile, the Department will comment on the priority plan until June 3which it says will update another strategy document required under the Inflation Reduction Act: a comprehensive climate action plan, due in June 2025.
“During this process,” Edwards said, “we did public outreach and stakeholder engagement. This will continue throughout. It's not just that we're going to reject this document and not make a public comment.”
