Miami-Dade County Urban CO2 Reduction Program

1
Miami-Dade County Urban CO2 Reduction Program

• Nichole L. Hefty
• Air Quality Management Division
• Miami-Dade County DERM

2
Impacts to South Florida

• Obvious
• Flooding
• Beach Erosion
• Increased Temperatures
• Lost of Coastal Wetlands
• Not So Obvious
• Drinking Water Supply
• Lost Tourism
• Agricultural/Fishery Impacts
• Health Impacts, Infectious diseases

3
The Beginning of Our Plan

• 1991 Miami-Dade County one of the first twelve
  international urban jurisdictions participating
  in ICLEIs Cities for Climate Protection (CCP)
  Program
• Steering Committee chaired by former
  commissioner, Harvey Ruvin, and lead by DERM

• 1993 Long Term Urban CO2 Reduction Plan
  formally adopted
• Goal Reduce CO2 emissions by 20 of 1988
  baseline by 2005

4
Components of Our Plan

• Developed by a steering committee comprised of
  county staff and community experts
• The Plan serves as a guide
• Periodic data collection and updates
• The Plan was continually modified
• Support provided by ICLEI staff

5
Sectors Targeted

• Transportation Measures (45)
• Mass Transit and Road Improvements
• Increase Fuel Efficiency
• Electrical Production/Use Measures (45)
• Increase Efficiencies of Government Operations
• Expand the Use of Alternative Fuels

6
Sectors Targeted

• Solid Waste Measures (lt10)
• Reduce generated solid waste by up to 5
• Recycle between 30 and 50 of Miami-Dade
  Countys waste stream
• Land Use Measures (lt10)
• Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMTs) by 5
• Encourage Infill Development

7
Internal Challenges

• Staff turnover
• Insufficient details data
• Difficult to sustain upper management support
• Lack of authority over sister agencies
• Not seen as a mandatory program

8
External Challenges

• Lack of supportive state or federal legislation
• 27.1 population increase
• Continued urban sprawl
• Periodic software upgrades changes

9
Results
  
Total CO2 Emissions Reduced (1993 2005)
34,062,831 tons
10
Results
11
Lessons Learned

• Level of political upper management support
  directly affects success
• Preferable to develop ballpark emission levels by
  sector for initial planning
• Dont rely on aspects not within your control
• Record back-up ALL details data
• Community education outreach should be a core
  component of plan
• ICLEI support was critical

12
Our Future

• Miami-Dade Climate Change Advisory Task Force
• Adaptation Planning
• New GHG emission reduction goals timelines
• Green Buildings
• Consideration of a GHG cap and trade program

13
Helpful Links
Miami-Dade Urban CO2 Reduction Program
http//www.miamidade.gov/derm/globalwarming/c02_re
duction.asp International Council for Local
Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI)
http//www.iclei.org/ Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change http//www.ipcc.ch/index.html U
S EPA Climate Change Web page http//epa.gov/cl
imatechange/index.html
Nichole Hefty, Coordinator Climate Change
Program Air Quality Management Division Miami-Dade
County, DERM E-mail heftyn_at_miamidade.gov (305)
372-6825