Iowa City has lowered carbon emissions by 49 percent since 2010, beating its goal of lowering carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2030. Iowa City has programs in place that will help them reach its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Iowa City beat its goal to lower carbon emissions by 2030 nine years early. Since 2010, Iowa City has decreased carbon emissions by 49 percent, but their goal was to reduce carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2030.
“We are very excited about the emissions reduction progress we’ve made in such a short time, but we know there is still plenty of work ahead to reach our goal of net zero emissions by 2050,” Assistant City Manager Rachel Kilburg wrote in an email to The Daily Iowan.
Iowa City already has plans underway to accomplish its goal, such as the TIF-funded Matching Grant Energy Efficiency Program. “Through the TIF program, the city has provided approximately $1.4 million in funding to commercial/industrial properties for both energy efficiency and solar projects,” Kilburg wrote. “Our staff are currently planning for expansion of this program to other areas in the city.”
The funds are going to three industrial parts of Iowa City, Sycamore and First Avenue, Heinz Road, and Scott Six Storage. “To achieve net zero emissions for the city, we need to both reduce energy consumption and have clean sources of energy like solar for the energy we do use,” Iowa City’s Climate Action Engagement Specialist Sarah Gardner wrote in an email to the DI.