Slashing our carbon pollution will require both imagination and bold action, from revisioning our streets, to transforming how we power our homes and buildings. While a climate strategy alone will not solve the racial inequities at the heart of our city’s biggest challenges, the scale of change required offers new avenues to advance opportunity. The community’s vision has shaped the District’s approach to 2045 and will guide future climate action as we craft and implement solutions.
2019 Emissions by Sector
The biggest driver of emissions in the District is the energy we use to heat, cool, and power our buildings, accounting for 71% of total carbon emissions. Cars, trucks, and buses, along with emissions from generating the electricity we use to power the Metrorail trains, DC streetcar, and electric Circulator buses, account for an additional 24%. Waste disposal and wastewater treatment combined account for the remaining 5% of annual emissions. In 2019, citywide greenhouse gas emissions from these sectors totaled more than 7.1 million met tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMCO2e). Taking into account the energy and materials that go into producing and transporting our everyday supplies -- from materials used to build our homes and pave our streets, to the food we eat and the cellphones we carry -- the District's carbon footprint is even larger.
Articulating the ways Carbon Free DC departs from traditional climate planning as a result of centering community priorities was a key goal of the planning process. Some of the places where those choices are most evident are illustrated in the examples below.
Our Communities
The District’s 2045 vision is as much about building a healthy, resilient, and prosperous city as it is about reducing carbon emissions. To do both requires a wide range of strategies, from making housing more affordable, to building a local circular economy. The following seven goals describe the vision for the District by 2045:
