Hunter
05/17/23
Greenhouse gas emissions have decreased substantially over the past decade in Johnson County, but experts say the work isn’t done yet.
A report in the Ames Tribune says the report, released by the county Board of Supervisors recently, showed the county decreased its greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent between 2010 and 2020.
The study examined the county’s overall emissions from six different sectors, which included commercial and industrial energy, residential energy, transportation, agriculture, steam and electric generation and solid waste.
The report showed where the County has room for improvement. Transportation emissions only were lowered by two percent, and solid waste emissions actually grew by over 16 percent, matching the population growth over the same period.
In a press release from Johnson County, sustainability coordinator Becky Soglin said the county’s limiting use of coal combined with use of renewable energies like wind and solar have produced positive results. However, the study says Johnson County as a whole must continue to reduce its emission by another 56 percent by 2030.
ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability coordinated the greenhouse gas inventory study with the county’s Planning Development and Sustainability Department and the University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Energy and Environmental Education. Johnson County previously kept track of greenhouse gas emissions, but only from their own operations.