Burlington Climate Action Plan
The Climate Action Plan was initiated and developed by then Mayor Peter Clavelle and the Burlington City Council in 1998. The plan was then adopted by the City Council in May of 2000. The objectives of the Climate Action Plan are to reduce the impacts on human health, forests and agricultural land, winter recreation, along with the infrastructure/land and the correlation to water quality. Ultimately, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions within Burlington and the potentially the greater Chittenden County area is the main goal of this plan. The first target goal is to level off greenhouse gas emissions by 2016. Data collection to evaluate level of emissions includes data from municipal government operations, airport operations, and community-wide activity. A reduction of emissions is planned to begin by 2025.
water, wetland, wildlife
The Climate Action Plan includes the collection of emissions data to form a base line. This collective database highlights the key tasks that can be completed in effort to reach the greater goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing secondary benefits such as economic growth within the city of Burlington, housing development and maintaining natural areas.
Local Motion
Plan BVT
The Burlington Legacy Project: Partnering for a Sustainable Future
The involvement of Burlington stakeholders in the drafting of the Climate Action Plan has been crucial to its current success. Peter Clavelle, previous Burlington mayor, set the high standards for the development of the Climate Action Plan and challenged Burlington community members to actively participate in the betterment of the city.
Challenges in regard to the implementation of the Burlington Climate Action Plan ultimately are related to available funding.