Pollution Prevention
Climate/GHG Emissions
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time.
The impacts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on our climate are accelerating around the world, and we must act quickly to reduce our emissions in order to preserve our planet for future generations. Locally, Baltimore is vulnerable to the effects of climate change in the form of rising sea levels threatening real estate and infrastructure, increased cooling loads raising the cost to air-condition our buildings, rising temperatures endangered public health, and rising water temperatures threaten aquatic life.
The Baltimore Office of Sustainability completed an inventory to measure the GHG emissions for both the city as a whole and the city government as an operating entity. (View the findings of the inventory here. (include link to report)) Now that we know the sources of emissions, the next steps include completing and implementing a Climate Action Plan. This Plan will include a comprehensive list of actions spanning the goals of the Sustainability Plan, a built-in system of accountability, an assessment of the risks to Baltimore associated with the effects of climate change, and strategies to minimize the impact of those risks.
Metrics
Partner Organizations:
- Baltimore City Energy Office
- Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge
- Maryland Energy Administration
What You Can Do:
- 1Drive less. Instead use public transit or, better yet, try walking or biking to your destination.
- 2Keep your car and boat engines tuned and tires filled to improve fuel efficiency and reduce air pollution
- 3If in the market for a new car, look for the most efficient, lowest polluting vehicles. California offers a great guide to low-polluting vehicles.
- 4Use less energy at home and at work. Check out the ENERGY STAR website for ideas on exactly how.
- 5Join the Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge
- 6Recycle! Recycling and waste reduction are actually very much related to climate change. Just one person recycling their newspaper, magazines, plastic, glass, and metal for one year is enough to save 471 pounds of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere.
- 7Decrease your meat consumption. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization found that the ranching and slaughter of cows and other animals generates an estimated 18 percent of total human-induced greenhouse-gas emissions globally. Follow the Baltimore City Public School System’s lead and start with giving up meat just one day a week.