The 2023 Routt County Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory is now complete and tracks how greenhouse gas emissions have changed since the last Greenhouse Gas Inventory was performed in 2018. The 2023 Greenhouse Gas Inventory was performed in accordance with the Routt County Climate Action Plan accountability recommendation to update the inventory every five years in order to track progress and revise benchmarks as needed. Lotus Engineering & Sustainability was contracted to perform the inventory and Yampa Valley Sustainability Council (YVSC) supported outreach and data analysis.
The results of the 2023 Greenhouse Gas Inventory show an overall 6% decrease in emissions when compared to the 2018 Routt County Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, decreasing to 669,794 metric tons in 2023 from approximately 713,392 metric tons in 2018. This overall reduction in emissions is attributed to the reductions in emissions associated with electricity use combined with the “greening of the grid” trends in the energy sector, or the replacement of fossil fuel-generated electricity with renewable energy-generated electricity. As Xcel and YVEA continue to make ground towards their goals of 80% renewable energy by 2030, the amount of emissions generated through electricity use will continue to decline.
Per the 2023 GHG Inventory, stationary energy sector emissions from commercial and residential buildings remain the largest source of Routt County’s greenhouse gas emissions at 45% of total emissions, or 304,014 metric tons. Stationary energy emissions, or emissions caused from burning fuels in fixed buildings or equipment like furnaces and boilers, stem largely from how we heat and cool our buildings. Due to the greening of the grid, there was a 26% decrease in emissions in this sector from the 2018 data, which contributed to the overall reduction of emissions in the county-wide inventory. Of note, electricity use dropped by 5% from 2018 to 2023, highlighting a shortfall in the progress of building electrification. In order to maximize the benefit of the greening of the grid and the associated reduction in emissions that can be achieved, building electrification for new and existing buildings should be accelerating and thus electricity use should be increasing year on year. This emission trend highlights the need for Routt County, City of Steamboat Springs and Towns of Hayden, Oak Creek and Yampa to pursue beneficial electrification for new and existing buildings.
“Changes in utilities and the greening of the grid alone are not enough to avoid the worst impacts of climate change,” said Tim Sullivan with Yampa Valley Sustainability Council, the program management entity for the CAP Collaborative. “Governments, businesses, organizations and individuals must embrace electrification, and adopt additional strategies to effectively address the climate crisis.”
The transportation sector was the second largest source of emissions at 37% of the total, or 249,126 metric tons overall. This was a 32% increase in transportation emissions from the 2018 data, and of note, driven by an increase of 26% in Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). VMT refers to the emissions generated by driving cars and trucks. This increase in transportation emissions combined with the increase in VMT highlight the importance of advancing transportation solutions that support and incentivize alternative transportation options, such as public transportation and electric vehicles.
The third largest sector of emissions is waste at 9% of total emission or 61,408 metric tons, which showed a 10.5% increase in emissions from the 2018 data. The primary source of waste emissions comes from the release of methane, which occurs when materials decompose in the landfill. The increase in waste emissions underlines the importance of continuing to develop initiatives that increase and support recycling, composting and waste reduction.
Conducting greenhouse inventories on a regular basis provides decision-makers and residents with a baseline understanding of how emissions vary year on year and how sector-based emissions vary based on regional activity. Routt County, City of Steamboat Springs and Towns of Hayden, Oak Creek and Yampa adopted the Routt County Climate Action Plan in 2021, three years after the 2018 Greenhouse Gas Inventory, making the 2023 Inventory an important but partial snapshot of the actions that have been taken thus far – or are planned – to reduce emissions according to Climate Action Plan recommendations. Key actions like the updates to development codes, installation of solar panels, electrification of buildings, public transportation improvements and more have made strides in reducing emissions and/or avoiding significant increases in emissions. Some successes reflected in the inventory include a 600% increase in local solar panels and a 6% increase in public transit ridership.
“Since its adoption in 2021, the Routt County Climate Action Plan (CAP) has played an instrumental role in guiding local governments on how to decrease our community’s emissions,” CAP Collaborative Board Chair Gail Garey said. “We are proud of the steps we’ve taken so far, and recognize that there are important co-benefits to our community – like increased bike safety, more convenient public transportation options for commuters, cost savings through energy savings – but we also have a lot of work to do to meet emissions targets. We are committed to continuing this work in ways that benefit our community and our local environments.”
To view the full 2023 Routt County Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report, visit https://routtclimateaction.com/resources/.
