City Council Agenda and Packet 2018 07 10 SP

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Page 1 4 Notable Highlights from the 2016 GHG Emission Inventory The 2016 inventory showed a very slight (0.4%) decrease in emissions since the 2011 inventory: the 2011 value was 4,890,832 mtCO2e and the 2016 value was 4,873,034 mtCO2e. The slight decrease in GHG emissions experienced by Boulder County to date is partly a result of the different calculation methodologies and emission sources tracked in the 2011 and 2016 inventories. The GPC requires Boulder County to track an additional eight emission sources that were not tracked in 2011. These new emission sources alone account for 14% of Boulder County's GHG emissions in 2016. If we compare only the emission sources that were in both 2011 and 2016 GHG inventories, Boulder Countywide emissions have been reduced by 16% between 2011 and 2016. For more information on the different inventory methodologies see the subsection Inventory Methodology. Also, unlike the 2011 inventory, the 2016 inventory does not include renewable energy credits (RECs) or offsets which accounted for a reduction in emissions in the 2011 inventory. In addition, the emissions from the Denver International Airport were also included in the 2016 GHG inventory. The result of the various changes in inventory methodology is that the new 2016 inventory added 770,041 mtCO2e in emissions that were not accounted for in the 2011 inventory. This report describes and compares the absolute emissions covered by the respective inventories of 2011 and 2016. Where appropriate, differences in the methodologies are described. The following highlights and trends in the 2016 inventory are worth noting: • Total GHG emissions in 2016 for Boulder County is 4,873,034 mtCO2e. This includes emissions from all municipalities as well as unincorporated Boulder County. o Emission reductions from 2011 to 2016 can be compared to growth and economic activity, by normalization, as follows: 6% reduction of emissions per job and 33% reduction in commercial and industrial emissions per square foot. o Emissions per capita varied by municipality, ranging from 8.3 mtCO2e per person to 26.6 mtCO2e per person; the average emissions per capita for all of Boulder County was 15.1 mtCO2e per person. • Emissions due to electricity consumption accounted for 41% of the overall 2016 GHG inventory. Between 2011 and 2016, electricity usage decreased by 1% while emissions from electricity decreased by 25%. This emissions reduction from electricity is caused by significantly lower electricity emission factors due to a cleaner grid from the increase in renewable energy. o Electricity emission reductions (625,850 mtCO2e) were the single largest source of GHG reductions overall between 2011 and 2016. 15