In its first climate plan report card, Phoenix claims some progress, with work still to do
Phoenix has released its first official Climate Action Plan Progress Report, outlining evidence of tangible headway on several deadly and costly climate challenges affecting the city, while lagging in results on others.
The city shared the report exclusively with The Arizona Republic ahead of its publication on Wednesday. The 60-page document takes stock of what the city has accomplished toward goals outlined in its 2021 plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, bolster heat resilience and local food systems and expand clean energy, public transit, waste recycling and water conservation infrastructure in the nation’s hottest and fifth-largest metropolis.
Much of the progress noted was facilitated by a slew of funds the city has secured from federal grants associated with President Joe Biden’s climate initiatives as well as from philanthropic and private donors. Many of the obstacles came from imperfect cross-sector collaboration, unclear metrics and a lack of goal alignment with Arizona’s lawmakers and utility regulators, officials said.
Mayor Kate Gallego, who is currently running for reelection amid growing reports of how extreme heat, drought and air pollution are affecting Phoenix’s 1.6 million residents, hopes to further local climate action and improve upon these flaws if granted another term in office.
Her plan to turn Phoenix into “the most sustainable desert city” has been a central part of her platform since she assumed the leadership role in 2019. Before holding the city’s top office, Gallego completed an undergraduate degree in environmental science at Harvard, worked in economic development for one of the state’s largest utility providers and helped craft the city’s first-ever Climate Action Plan in 2009 as a volunteer with its Environmental Quality Commission.
“We celebrate the expansion and electrification of public transit. Phoenix has also implemented many impressive renewable energy projects, from large-scale efforts like Ameresco’s 15.4 MW biogas project to smaller-scale projects that provide direct benefit to residents, such as solar shade structures at affordable housing sites,” Gallego told The Republic in response to a question about benchmarks she’s most proud of and what the challenges have been.
“Still, we will need creative cross-sector partnerships to meet our 2030 and 2050 goals, and I hope to see more emphasis on this in the next Climate Action Plan.”
What has Gallego done on greenhouse gas reductions in Phoenix?
In an exchange with The Republic, Gallego drew attention to Phoenix’s ambitious decarbonization targets under her guidance. The city aims to halve community-wide emissions of greenhouse gases and to reach net zero in municipal operations by 2030, she said, toward achieving a clean energy economy by 2050.