Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Summit County

Summit County's Climate Action Journey

Using This StoryMap

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Glossary of Terms

GHGs: Greenhouse Gas Emissions. These gases trap heat in the earth's atmosphere and cause climate change.

mt CO 2 e: Metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This is a common unit used to measure GHG emissions (like methane). GHGs are converted to CO 2 e based on their contribution to atmospheric warming compared to carbon dioxide.

Our Changing Climate


GHG Emissions

Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. The presence of some of these gases in the atmosphere in balanced quantities is essential for life on planet earth to exist. However, human activities have led to a dramatic increase in GHG emissions in the last 200 years, causing temperature increases and disrupting climate conditions. As of 2023, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is at the highest level ever recorded.

There are four main GHGs that contribute to climate change: carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O), and fluorinated gases. Fossil fuel combustion, natural gas production, agriculture, and industrial processes are the main human activities that create GHG emissions.

Identifying the amount and sources of GHG emissions is an important step in mitigating the impacts of climate change. 

Summit County GHG emissions in 2023

The slideshow below includes maps showing emissions by sector for each community. Click the arrow on the bottom right to see the emissions from the next sector.

Progress

Summit County's communities adopted the Summit Community Climate Action Plan (CAP) in 2019. The plan sets goals to reduce GHG emissions in Summit County by 50 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050, relative to a 2005 baseline.

The dashboard below compares GHG emissions from each of the three inventories conducted so far: calendar years 2023, 2020, and 2017. Click the tabs at the bottom of the dashboard to compare emissions from each sector.

Total emissions in Summit County increased by 3% in 2023 compared to 2017 emissions and increased by 4% compared to 2020. Additional action is needed to achieve 50% emissions reduction by 2030.

COVID-19 Impacts

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically shifted our way of life. Because of the pandemic, GHG emissions in Summit County during 2020 were not reflective of emissions in a typical year. In 2023, emissions reflected a significant return to pre-pandemic activity levels in the County.

Climate Action Leadership

Summit County has a long history of protecting the environment. With the growing threat of climate change and the potential for severe local impacts, the community continues to take action.

Summit County has committed to reaching the following climate action goals:

The following slides highlight a few actions the community has taken to reduce emissions and promote sustainability.