Intro background

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Concord's Goal: We're aiming to reduce community wide GHGs 80% from 2008 by 2050.

While emissions have decreased 6% between 2008 and 2016, Concord will have to take more significant action -and fast- to meet our target.

Reduction Pathways

Target: 80% Reduction by 2050

Concord needs to take action to achieve more significant reductions, and fast, in order to meet the 80% reduction by 2050 goal.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that a 45% reduction in global emissions by 2030 is required to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Reductions become harder and harder to achieve and Concord may also have to overcome potential increases to emissions due to population and employment growth.

  • To achieve 80% reduction by 2050, emissions would need to drop an average of 5,399 MTCO2e, or about 2.5%, each year until 2050.

  • To achieve the 45% reduction by 2030 recommended by the IPCC in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, emissions would need to drop an average of 6,940 MTCO2e, or about 3%, each year until 2030.

  • Between 2008 and 2016 emissions dropped at the rate of less than 1% per year.

  • Between 2008 and 2019 emissions dropped 22%. This was due in large part to CMLP’s efforts to decarbonize the electricity supply (50% carbon-free in 2019).

  • If Concord continues to use the same type of fuels at the same rates as in 2019, even with a 100% carbon-free electricity supply, emissions will only drop 32%, far short of the 80% by 2050 goal. This is illustrated as 'Business as Usual' in the chart to the right.

  • At an average annual rate of 1% reduction per year, Concord will still fall short of meeting the 80% by 2050 goal.