Chicago Climate Action Plan
Encyclopedia
The Chicago Climate Action Plan (CCAP) is Chicago
's climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy that was adopted in September 2008. The CCAP has an overarching goal of reducing Chicago's greenhouse gas
emissions by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, with an interim goal of 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
equivalent by 2020 under a business-as-usual scenario. One projected global warming
impact is an increase in days that have temperatures over one hundred degrees. Under the business-as-usual scenario, the number of these days would increase to thirty-one annually, while under a lower emissions scenario, such as that called for in the Chicago Climate Action Plan, the number of these days would increase to eight annually. Climate change has many impacts, including an economic impact. The Chicago Climate Action Plan seeks to address climate change by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate its effects
, while preparing for climate change through adaptation actions.
Buildings; Clean & Renewable Energy
Sources; Improved Transportation Options; Reduced Waste & Industrial Pollution
; and Adaptation. The first four strategies are designed to mitigate climate change, while the fifth strategy aims to adapt to climate change.
s are responsible for 70 percent of Chicago's emissions. The Energy Efficient Buildings strategy accounts for 30 percent of Chicago's total greenhouse gas reductions. Building energy efficiency improvements are projected to have a diverse set of benefits, including savings on energy bills for building owners, job creation in the building retrofit
field, and decreased greenhouse gas emissions.
as an efficient and lower-emission alternative to central power plants. Household renewable power is another action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
and industrial processes are responsible for nine percent of Chicago's emissions. The Reduced Waste & Industrial Pollution strategy accounts for 13 percent of Chicago's total greenhouse gas reductions. In addition to focusing on waste, this strategy has actions to reduce the emissions from refrigerants and use green infrastructure to capture stormwater
.
and heavy flooding, and ecosystem
changes. In addition, there are actions to engage the public and businesses.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy that was adopted in September 2008. The CCAP has an overarching goal of reducing Chicago's greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, with an interim goal of 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
Background
A greenhouse gas emissions forecast projected that Chicago’s emissions would increase to 39.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxideCarbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
equivalent by 2020 under a business-as-usual scenario. One projected global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
impact is an increase in days that have temperatures over one hundred degrees. Under the business-as-usual scenario, the number of these days would increase to thirty-one annually, while under a lower emissions scenario, such as that called for in the Chicago Climate Action Plan, the number of these days would increase to eight annually. Climate change has many impacts, including an economic impact. The Chicago Climate Action Plan seeks to address climate change by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate its effects
Effects of global warming
This article is about the effects of global warming and climate change. The effects, or impacts, of climate change may be physical, ecological, social or economic. Evidence of observed climate change includes the instrumental temperature record, rising sea levels, and decreased snow cover in the...
, while preparing for climate change through adaptation actions.
Design
The Chicago Climate Action Plan consists of five strategies: Energy EfficientEfficient energy use
Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
Buildings; Clean & Renewable Energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
Sources; Improved Transportation Options; Reduced Waste & Industrial Pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
; and Adaptation. The first four strategies are designed to mitigate climate change, while the fifth strategy aims to adapt to climate change.
Energy Efficient Buildings
According to a 2000 greenhouse gas emissions inventory, building and other energy useEnergy use
Energy use or similar terms are discussed in the following articles:* Efficient energy use* World energy resources and consumption* energy use intensity...
s are responsible for 70 percent of Chicago's emissions. The Energy Efficient Buildings strategy accounts for 30 percent of Chicago's total greenhouse gas reductions. Building energy efficiency improvements are projected to have a diverse set of benefits, including savings on energy bills for building owners, job creation in the building retrofit
Retrofit
Retrofitting refers to the addition of new technology or features to older systems.* power plant retrofit, improving power plant efficiency / increasing output / reducing emissions...
field, and decreased greenhouse gas emissions.
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Retrofit commercial and industrial buildings | Retrofit 50 percent of commercial and industrial building stock, resulting in a 30 percent energy reduction. |
| Retrofit residential buildings | Improve efficiency of 50 percent of residential buildings to achieve a 30 percent reduction in energy used. |
| Trade in appliances | Expand appliance trade-in and lightbulb replacement program. |
| Conserve water | Improve water use Water use Water use can mean the amount of water used for a given task or for the production of a given quantity of some product or crop. The term "water footprint" is often used to refer to the amount of water used by a consumer.... in buildings as part of retrofits. |
| Upgrade City energy code | Align Chicago's Energy Conservation Code with latest international standards. |
| Establish new guidelines for renovation | Require all building renovation Renovation Renovation is the process of improving a structure. Two prominent types of renovations are commercial and residential.-Process:The process of a renovation, however complex, can usually be broken down into several processes... s to meet green standards. |
| Cool with trees and green roofs | Increase rooftop gardens to total of 6,000 buildings citywide and plant an estimated one million trees. |
| Take easy steps | Encourage all Chicagoans to take easy steps to reduce their emissions by one metric ton of CO 2e per person. |
Clean & Renewable Energy Sources
The Clean & Renewable Energy strategy accounts for 34 percent of Chicago's total greenhouse gas reductions. This strategy includes a focus on distributed generationDistributed generation
Distributed generation, also called on-site generation, dispersed generation, embedded generation, decentralized generation, decentralized energy or distributed energy, generates electricity from many small energy sources....
as an efficient and lower-emission alternative to central power plants. Household renewable power is another action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Upgrade power plants | Upgrade or repower 21 Illinois Illinois Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,... power plants. |
| Improve power plant efficiency | Raise efficiency standards for new and existing power generators. |
| Build renewable electricity | Procure enough renewable energy generation for Chicagoans to reduce electricity Electricity Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire... emissions by 20 percent. |
| Increase distributed generation | Increase efficient power generated on-site using distributed generation and combined heat and power. |
| Promote household renewable power | Double current household-scale renewable electricity generation. |
Improved Transportation Options
According to a 2000 greenhouse gas emissions inventory, transportation is responsible for 30 percent of Chicago's emissions. The Improved Transportation Options strategy accounts for 23 percent of Chicago's total greenhouse gas reductions. This strategy focuses on the availability and use of alternative modes of transportation to driving as well as reducing the emissions associated with driving.| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Invest more in transit | Invest in transit improvements and boost Chicago transit system ridership by 30 percent. |
| Expand transit incentives | Provide incentives for transit use, such as pre-tax transit passes. |
| Promote transit-oriented development | Encourage development focused on public transit, walking and bicycle use. |
| Make walking and biking easier | Increase the number of walking and bicycle trips to one million a year. |
| Car share and carpool | Boost car sharing, carpooling and vanpooling. |
| Improve fleet efficiency | Improve the energy efficiency of fleets in Chicago, including buses, taxis and delivery vehicles. |
| Achieve higher fuel efficiency standards | Advocate for implementation of higher federal fuel efficiency Fuel efficiency Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the efficiency of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier fuel into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, which in turn may vary per application, and this spectrum of variance is... standards. |
| Switch to cleaner fuels | Increase the supply and use of sustainable alternative fuel Alternative fuel Alternative fuels, known as non-conventional or advanced fuels, are any materials or substances that can be used as fuels, other than conventional fuels... s for Chicago vehicles. |
| Support intercity rail | Support intercity high-speed passenger rail plan. |
| Improve freight movement | Foster more efficient freight movement, including support for CREATE. |
Reduced Waste & Industrial Pollution
According to a 2000 greenhouse gas emissions inventory, wasteWaste
Waste is unwanted or useless materials. In biology, waste is any of the many unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from living organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea, sweat or feces. Litter is waste which has been disposed of improperly...
and industrial processes are responsible for nine percent of Chicago's emissions. The Reduced Waste & Industrial Pollution strategy accounts for 13 percent of Chicago's total greenhouse gas reductions. In addition to focusing on waste, this strategy has actions to reduce the emissions from refrigerants and use green infrastructure to capture stormwater
Stormwater
Stormwater is water that originates during precipitation events. It may also be used to apply to water that originates with snowmelt that enters the stormwater system...
.
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Reduce, reuse and recycle | Reduce, reuse and recycle 90 percent of the city’s waste by 2020. |
| Shift to alternative refrigerants | Promote the use of alternative refrigerant Refrigerant A refrigerant is a substance used in a heat cycle usually including, for enhanced efficiency, a reversible phase change from a liquid to a gas. Traditionally, fluorocarbons, especially chlorofluorocarbons, were used as refrigerants, but they are being phased out because of their ozone depletion... s in air conditioners and appliances. |
| Capture stormwater on-site | Manage stormwater with green infrastructure. |
Adaptation
The Adaptation strategy does not include a greenhouse gas emission reduction target. Instead, this strategy focuses on preparing for the effects of climate change. This strategy has actions to prepare for extreme heat and urban heat island, extreme precipitationPrecipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
and heavy flooding, and ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
changes. In addition, there are actions to engage the public and businesses.
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Manage heat | Update the heat response plan, focusing on vulnerable populations; complete further research into urban heat island Urban heat island An urban heat island is a metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas. The phenomenon was first investigated and described by Luke Howard in the 1810s, although he was not the one to name the phenomenon. The temperature difference usually is larger at night... effect and pursue ways to cool hot spots. |
| Pursue innovative cooling | Launch an effort to seek out innovative ideas for cooling the city and encourage property owners to make green landscape and energy efficiency improvements. |
| Protect air quality | Intensify efforts to reduce ozone Ozone Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope... precursors through mitigation programs that reduce driving and emissions from power plants. |
| Manage stormwater | Collaborate with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago , originally known as the Sanitary District of Chicago is a special-purpose district, chartered to operate in northern Illinois since 1889... on a Chicago watershed plan that factors in climate change and uses vacant land to manage stormwater. |
| Implement Green Urban Design | Implement key steps in Chicago's Green Urban Design plan to manage heat and flooding. These steps will enable Chicago to capture rain where it falls and reflect away some of the intensity of the sun on hot days. |
| Preserve our plants and trees | Publish a new plant-growing list that focuses on plants that can thrive in altered climate. Also draft a new landscape ordinance to accommodate plants that can tolerate the altered climate. |
| Engage the public | Share climate research findings with groups most affected - social service agencies, garden clubs, etc. Help individual households to take their own steps to reduce flooding and manage heat wave Heat wave A heat wave is a prolonged period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity. There is no universal definition of a heat wave; the term is relative to the usual weather in the area... s, such as installing rain barrels and back-up power for sump pump Sump pump A sump pump is a pump used to remove water that has accumulated in a water collecting sump basin, commonly found in the basement of homes. The water may enter via the perimeter drains of a basement waterproofing system, funneling into the basin or because of rain or natural ground water, if the... s and planting shade trees. |
| Engage businesses | Work with businesses to analyze their vulnerability to climate change and take action. |
| Plan for the future | Use the Green Steering Committee of City Commissioners to oversee City implementation efforts and the Green Ribbon Committee of businesses and community leaders to assess how the Plan is being implemented, recommend revisions, report to the Mayor and all Chicagoans on our progress. |