City of Bloomington Releases 2023 Greenhouse Gas Inventory, Tracking Progress on Climate Goals

The City of Bloomington has released its 2023 Greenhouse Gas Inventory, a comprehensive report tracking emissions from key sectors across the city, including energy use in buildings,  transportation, solid waste, and wastewater. This effort, completed in collaboration with ClimateNav, is part of the City’s commitment to tracking progress and driving climate action.

Bloomington first completed its standardized greenhouse gas inventory in 2018, aligned with the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC) standard in 2018, as a significant stride towards completing the recommended actions laid out in the City’s 2018 Sustainability Action Plan. Since the 2018 inventory, the City has continued to uphold its commitment to sustainability with a number of initiatives, including passing the official Climate Action Plan in 2021, and setting community-wide emissions reductions targets.

An additional greenhouse gas inventory of emissions released from 2019 to 2022 was completed in 2023. As a member of the Global Covenant of Mayors, and as annual reporters to Climate Disclosure Project, the City commits to updating the community-wide inventory on an annual basis, ensuring accountability and transparency regarding climate action.

With the 2018 inventory serving as the emissions baseline, the City committed in 2021 to reducing its emissions 25% by 2030, and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. The 2023 inventory report found that Bloomington is on track to meet its 2030 target; however, the inventory shows that current emission reductions will not meet the 2050 carbon neutrality goal. Emissions are decreasing by about 34,168 MTCO2e annually, but a reduction of 44,268 MTCO2e per year is needed, a 29.6% increase in the rate of annual emissions reductions.

Over 51% of emissions come from grid-supplied electricity (Duke Energy) and 24% from natural gas combustion (CenterPoint Energy). Emissions can be reduced via energy efficiency (e.g., heat pump HVAC systems, electrification of buildings) and demand-side changes (e.g., adjusting thermostat settings). Both approaches present significant challenges: supply-side solutions are capital-intensive, while demand-side changes require widespread behavioral shifts.

“We are proud of the efforts we have made thus far to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We also understand the level of commitment required from all of us to achieve our 2050 emission reduction goals,” said Shawn Miya, Assistant Director of Sustainability. “With incentives such as the upcoming re-launch of our 2025 Solar, Energy Efficiency, and Lighting Program, our re-launch of the Bloomington Green Home Improvement Program, and the continued work to make our municipal buildings as energy efficient and powered by renewable energy as possible, the City of Bloomington is committed to creating a clean energy future.” 

Residents can explore the City’s Climate Action Dashboard to track progress, access resources, and discover ways to contribute to Bloomington’s sustainability goals.

Any questions regarding the inventory can be directed to sustain@bloomington.in.gov.