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CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABILITY

Global climate change is one of the largest issues

facing cities in the 21st-Century. A continued reliance

on fossil fuels and urban energy consumption patterns

are putting us on an unsustainable path. Glaciers,permafrost and sea ice are disappearing. Extreme

weather events will continue to cause more flooding,more drought, more public health problems, more

economic distress, and more destruction of

ecosystems. No neighborhood will be immune tothese effects.

The previous mayoral administration produced theChicago Climate Action Plan in 2008. The plan

predicted a 35% increase in greenhouse-gases (GHGs)

emissions from the city by the year 2050 if nothingwas done. Its ultimate goal was a total reduction in the

citys carbon (CO2) footprint 25% below 1990-levelsby the year 2020, and 80% below 1990-levels by

2050. The plan outlines strategies for energy-efficientbuildings, clean & renewable energy sources,

improved transportation options, reduced waste andindustrial pollution, and adaptation. Source: Chicago Climate Action Plan

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Additionally, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) recently published its GO TO 2040 Planin October 2010. This is a 30-year plan for the Chicago metropolitan region that offers a vision of sustainable

prosperity in the face of growing challenges. Included within the plan are recommendations for improving energyefficiency, increasing sustainable energy, expanding and improving access to parks and open space, and improvingour transportation network.

Many other resources produced by the City of Chicago and other organizations address issues of sustainability andclimate change that neighborhoods can look to for guidance. These plans and other publications provide a wealthof information and strategies specific to this region and will be discussed throughout this document.

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FOOTPRINT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD

The Chicago Climate Action Plan provides recommendations for how the city can reduce its carbon footprint25% below 1990-levels by the year 2020, and 80% below 1990-levels by 2050. Unfortunately, there is no

aggregate carbon-footprint data available at the neighborhood level, so creating similar long-term carbon-reduction

goals or metrics for North Center can become difficult.

In 2008, the City of Chicago stated that 36.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in carbon dioxide equivalent

units (MMTCO2e) were emitted in Chicago in 2005, averaging 12.7 tons per year for each of Chicagos ~2.8millions residents.

1The citys 2010 Climate Action Plan Progress Report indicated Chicago was making

progress, reducing the citys carbon footprint to 35.0 MMTCO2e (a 3.43% decrease over the period 2008-2009).

Although the city has not yet published a Progress Report in 2012, if we assume a similar decrease of 3.43% overthe last 2 years, this brings the citys carbon footprint down to ~33.8 MMTCO2e by 2012, and the per-residentrate down to 11.8 tons per year.

Assuming that each Chicago residents carbon footprint has in fact decreased 6.86% since 2008 to an 2012

average of 11.8 tons/year per resident in 2012, the ~16,317 residents of North Center neighborhood have an

annual aggregate carbon footprint of ~192,541 tons of CO2-equivalent.2

1 Chicago Climate Action Plan2 It should be noted that these figures are very rough approximations, based on a per-resident carbon-footprint which can vary

greatly based on income level, public-transit use, and many other factors