This three-year plan highlights the collaborative work between multiple City bureaus to reduce carbon emissions and make City operations more resilient and climate friendly. Together, they identified 47 priority actions to take that would usher us closer to our 2030 and 2050 climate goals.
The City has made some real gains in this workplan, alongside efforts that remain in progress. However, climate work does not follow a simple timeline. It demands steady, ongoing commitment. This final report captures the complexity of that work and recognizes the urgency that still exists.
The need to address the climate crisis is clear and Portland remains far from its 2030 and 2050 goals for carbon-emission reductions. Portlanders have experienced record-shattering heat, choking smoke from increasing wildfires, more frequent floods, and other extreme climate events over the past several years. Meanwhile, scientists recently published a warning that the next five summers will be the hottest on record. In fact, Earth is likely to pass 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming over pre-industrial levels, a key climate threshold, by 2027.
“This moment invites Portland to lead with transparency and courage,” notes Vivian Satterfield, Portland’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “Portland has the tools, knowledge, and resolve to lead – but it’s going to require more discipline and hope to fully realize our climate goals. Because our community’s prosperity, economic opportunity, and stability for future generations depend on it.”
While this report documents the final year of the Climate Emergency Workplan, this moment also marks a new beginning. The transition in our form of government and the launch of the Sustainability and Climate Commission offer new opportunities to create the future that Portlanders deserve.
View the report and learn more about the City’s progress in the Climate Emergency Workplan 2024 Progress Report.