Buildings along Johnson Drive on a bright, blue-sky summer day.

Mission, Kansas 2022 Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Community and Municipal Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2022

How to Use This StoryMap

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Our Changing Climate

Climate Change in the Kansas City Area

Due to its location, climate change manifests in Kansas in interesting ways. Kansas is located in a unique spot; it sits in a transition zone between eastern humid conditions and western semi-arid conditions. This clashing of climates creates highly variable precipitation ( NOAA ). Drought, heat, and severe weather, all predicted to intensify due to climate change, are affected by this variability in rainfall. This makes Kansas a distinctive area in which to explore the potential effects of climate change.

Increased Temperature and Drought

In the last century, the average temperature in Kansas has increased between 0.5 and 1.5°F. By the year 2050, Kansas is expected to have four times as many days above 100°F; some climate studies estimate that summer temperatures in Kansas could reach 125°F by 2050 ( NOAA ,  The Topeka Capital-Journal ). More warming is occurring in the winter and spring, and the number of annual cold nights has been decreasing since 1990 ( NOAA ).

Increasing temperatures also increase humidity, average rainfall, drought, and the frequency of severe storms. Humid air holds more water, which can make the actual air temperature feel much hotter. Plants use more water in hotter conditions, increasing the probability of drought. A significant portion of Kansas’ agricultural lands are irrigated with water from the High Plains Aquifer, which is quickly depleting due to higher water demand ( EPA ).

Hotter temperatures have severe implications for vulnerable populations including young children, older adults, people who are chronically ill, people who have disabilities, and communities of color. Risk of heat stress and heat stroke increase in hotter conditions, especially for communities without air conditioning ( EPA ). Summer air pollution may worsen, especially ozone and particulate matter in urban areas. An earlier spring means a longer pollen season, which may be harmful to people with allergies and asthma ( Kansas Health Institute ). Urban heat island effects from the Kansas City metropolitan area will only exacerbate these issues.

An old home sits in the middle of a field of wheat with hills in the distance. In the foreground is a close-up of a dried out, prickly plant.
An old home sits in the middle of a field of wheat with hills in the distance. In the foreground is a close-up of a dried out, prickly plant.

Changes in Precipitation

Precipitation variability has increased in the Great Plains over the last 50 years. Severe storms have become more unpredictable, but also more severe when they do occur. In the last half century, the amount of rain falling on the rainiest days of the year increased approximately 15%. This means that rain events are harder to predict, but when they do happen, they tend to be more extreme than normal. The likelihood of flooding increases due to this variability in rainfall ( EPA ,  NOAA ).

Lightning strikes against a deep purple sky over the endless expanse of the Kansas grasslands. Power lines run through the foreground.
Lightning strikes against a deep purple sky over the endless expanse of the Kansas grasslands. Power lines run through the foreground.

Tornado Frequency and Intensity

Unpredictable severe weather and hotter air increase humidity and atmospheric instability; this makes tornado formation more likely ( EPA ). Kansas’ location between cold, dry, northern air and warm, humid, air from the Gulf of Mexico creates the perfect conditions for frequent thunderstorms. Like previously mentioned, warming temperatures increase the frequency and severity of thunderstorms ( NOAA ).

An earlier spring means an earlier and longer tornado season. While scientists are still learning about the relationship between climate change and tornadoes, research suggests that there has been a decrease in the number of days with one tornado and an increase in the number of days with more than one tornado. In other words, severe storms are now producing more tornadoes per storm. The average number of tornadoes per tornado season will likely not change; however, they may occur in clusters, temporally and geographically ( Axios ).

A wide, tall, dark cloud forms into a tornado above the plains.
A wide, tall, dark cloud forms into a tornado above the plains.

Climate Risk and Vulnerability

Vulnerable communities are especially threatened by drought, heat, and severe weather risks. Below is an interactive map by the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) that maps the climate risk and vulnerability index in the Kansas City Area by census tract. Using different socioeconomic indicators such as nonwhite population, population under 200% poverty, population under age 5, population over age 65, and renter-occupied housing, MARC determined that 13% of the population in the study area is living in socioeconomic stress. Taking into account risks due to flooding, tornadoes, and urban heat, MARC mapped areas of climate vulnerability. For more detailed information, check out MARC's  Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment .

Climate Vulnerability Map from the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) for the Kansas City area. Colors reflect the level of the Regional Socioeconomic Stress Index each tract experiences. This index takes into account the demographics, urban heat island effects, and tornado threat in each tract. Click on the two arrows in the upper left corner to expand the map legend.

Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) and Climate Change

The culprit behind global warming and these climate-related risks is the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor accumulate in the atmosphere and trap heat from the sun. As emissions from human activities increase, more GHGs are released into the atmosphere and trap heat. Solar radiation entering the atmosphere has a harder time reflecting back to outer space because of the blanket of GHGs blocking its path. The atmosphere gradually warms, changing the climate—this is the greenhouse effect. A measurable way to mitigate climate change is to decrease GHG emissions. Entities such as cities and companies can track their emissions through GHG inventories. These inventories determine all sources of GHG emissions and calculate the resulting warming effect on the atmosphere. With the sources identified and monitored, strategies can be put in place to reduce and eliminate the emissions over time. This is where Mission is taking action.

Earth is surrounded by a blue circle representing the atmosphere filled with greenhouse gases. The sun is emitting heat in the form of orange arrows towards Earth. The orange arrows enter the blue circle and get stuck, bouncing between the blue circle of the atmosphere and Earth's surface. This represents the Earth warming up.

Visual depiction of the greenhouse effect; solar radiation entering the atmosphere (the orange arrows) gets trapped by GHGs in the atmosphere (the light blue circles) and Earth warms up.

Why Mission Cares

Located in Johnson County, Mission will likely be affected by all aforementioned climate risks. MARC’s Climate Vulnerability Map shows low to medium socioeconomic stress in Mission, specifically medium to high heat-related stress and low to high tornado-related stress. A warming climate will only exacerbate these climate risks in Mission—working to reduce emissions is vital. The City has adopted ambitious goals that go beyond the KC regional climate goals because a healthier planet benefits our current and future residents.


Regional and Local Action

Regional GHG Goals

A  Climate Action Plan  was developed in 2021 by MARC and Climate Action KC along with input from countless community members and stakeholders. The plan is designed to serve 10 counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Douglas, Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami, Wyandotte, Cass, Clay, Jackson, Platte, and Ray counties. The region’s overarching goal is to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. This larger goal is divided into sub-goals, including: net-zero emissions for local government operations by 2030, net-zero emissions for energy generation by 2035, and net-zero emissions from homes and buildings by 2040.

Map of all counties included in the Regional Climate Action Plan. The City of Mission is represented by the red star.

The cover of the Climate Action Plan, showing a group of people biking through Kansas City overlaid with a large zero to represent net-zero emissions.

Cover of the 2021 Climate Action by MARC and Climate Action KC.

The plan’s strategies are divided into two categories: mitigation strategies and adaptation strategies. Some mitigation strategies include:

  • Investing in renewable energy sources and moving away from fossil fuels.
  • Increasing building energy efficiency.
  • Encouraging adoption of electric vehicles and increasing infrastructure for walking, biking, and public transit.
  • Strengthening the urban tree canopy, as well as riparian areas.

Some adaptation strategies include:

  • Expanding green infrastructure and strengthening local food systems.
  • Bolstering social connectivity and active living by creating walkable neighborhoods.
  • Increasing the number of green jobs with living wages.
  • Strengthening the circular economy; reducing waste and increasing demand for reused and recycled materials.

See below for links to the Climate Action Plan and Executive Summary:

Mission's GHG Goals

In response to the regional Climate Action Plan, Mission’s mayor formed a Climate Action Task Force to look over the plan and propose 1-, 3-, and 5-year climate action strategies. Mission also works closely with Climate Action KC to support their climate work. Mission's City-specific emission-reduction goals are as follows: net-zero emissions for local government operations by 2025, net-zero emissions for energy generation by 2035, and net-zero emissions for homes and buildings by 2035. These recommendations were presented to Mission’s governing body at a Community Development Meeting. As for tracking emissions, the City has an existing greenhouse gas inventory for 2005. Contained in this StoryMap are data for the most recent greenhouse gas inventory for 2022 for the community and municipal operations. Using these inventories, Mission will be able to continue to track reductions and progress towards GHG reduction goals. See the Climate Action Task Force’s goals and strategies by clicking the button below.

Members of Mission Sustainability Commission stand around a bright green, well-landscaped garden complete with healthy plants, smooth stones, and mulch.

Mission Sustainability Commission learns about the native plant demonstration garden that was installed outside City Hall in 2021.


2022 Community GHG Inventory

Total Emissions by Sector

Mission's community emissions totaled 173,390 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (mt CO 2 e) in 2022. Emissions are broken down into categories, or sectors. In 2022, commercial buildings made up 39% of total emissions (68,275 mt CO 2 e) and residential buildings made up 21% of total emissions (37,018 mt CO 2 e). Transportation emissions made up 32% (54,737 mt CO 2 e), waste and wastewater emissions made up 8% (12,981 mt CO 2 e), and refrigerants made up less than 1% (379 mt CO 2 e).

Total Mission community emissions in 2022 by sector.

Building Energy Emissions

Percentage of total emissions that building energy emissions comprise. This includes emissions from commercial, industrial, and residential buildings.

Commercial buildings and residential buildings combine to form the building energy sector. This sector made up 60% of total community emissions in 2022. The figure below breaks down the sector into individual emission sources. The three-largest sources of building energy emissions in 2022 were commercial electricity (52%, 54,419 mt CO 2 e), residential electricity (21%, 21,993 mt CO 2 e), and residential natural gas (13%, 13799 mt CO 2 e). Commercial natural gas followed closely (11%, 11,606 mt CO 2 e), and the remaining building energy sources (transmission and distribution losses, fugitive emissions, commercial propane, residential propane, and commercial stationary diesel) made up 3% of building energy emissions.

Building energy emissions broken down by source.

Transportation Emissions

Percentage of total emissions that transportation emissions comprise.

The transportation sector made up 32% of total community emissions in 2022. This sector includes emissions from all on-road vehicles, including gasoline, diesel, and electric vehicles. It also includes emissions from public transportation buses. The largest source of transportation emissions for Mission in 2022 was on-road gasoline vehicles (58%, 31,713 mt CO 2 e). This was followed by on-road diesel vehicles (42%, 22,822 mt CO 2 e), on-road electric vehicles (0.2%, 88 mt CO 2 e), public transit (0.2%, 112 mt CO 2 e), and transmission and distribution losses (0.01%, 3 mt CO 2 e).

Transportation emissions broken down by source.

Waste and Wastewater Emissions

Percentage of total emissions that waste and wastewater emissions comprise.

The waste and wastewater sector made up 8% of total community emissions in 2022. This sector includes all waste disposed of within City limits, as well as emissions from the wastewater treatment facility. Of the total waste and wastewater emissions, solid or landfilled waste made up the largest percentage (93%, 12,056 mt CO 2 e). Composted waste made up 0.08% (11 mt CO 2 e) and wastewater treatment made up 7% (914 mt CO 2 e). Refrigerants are another sector; however, refrigerants only made up 0.2% of Mission's total community emissions, so they are not included in this breakdown.

Waste and wastewater emissions broken down by source.

Total Emissions by Sector and Source

The following figure breaks down total community emissions in 2022 by sector and source. The inside pie chart includes the different sectors and the outside pie chart includes all emission sources. Looking at Mission's emissions holistically, the three largest sources of emissions are commercial electricity (32%), on-road gasoline vehicles (18%), and a tie between on-road diesel vehicles and residential electricity (both 13%).

Total community emissions in 2022 by sector (inside pie chart) and source (outside pie chart).

Progress Over Time

When Mission conducted its first GHG inventory for 2005, total community emissions were estimated to be 421,844 mt CO 2 e. The most recent inventory estimated total community emissions to be 173,390 mt CO 2 e. This is a 59% decrease from 2005. Mission will have to decrease its community emissions by 8% each year to meet the regional 2050 net-zero goal.

Change in total emissions between the baseline year of 2005 and the most recent inventory year of 2022. Emissions decreased 59% between the two years.

What You Can Do

Sustainability work can be intimidating! But we can all chip in to help the City meet its goals. Below are some ideas for actions you can take that could directly or indirectly lower Mission's emissions footprint.

Several Mission residents walk across a crosswalk in Mission. One resident holds a purple flag with the Earth on it. Another resident in an orange safety vest gives two thumbs up to the camera.

Mission residents celebrate the Johnson Drive road diet in 2022.

  • Participate in curbside recycling and  yard waste  recycling. The City offers unlimited recycling and there is a public recycling container located at the Powell Community Center.
  • When looking into purchasing a new vehicle, consider a hybrid or fully-electric vehicle. There are several  tax credit and rebate programs  available in Kansas for electric vehicles purchases and electric vehicle home charging station installations.
  • Participate in regional shredding, e-cycling, and hazardous waste drop-off programs, as well as the City’s  battery recycling program .
  • Use rain barrels to collect rainwater and start composting. The City has a program to reimburse residents who purchase a rain barrel. Call City Hall for more information.
  • Plant a native tree to help manage stormwater runoff. The City reimburses residents 50% for the cost of planting 1-2 trees, up to $150 per tree!
  • Buy produce locally at Mission Market; the market happens every Thursday from June to August. Explore the vendors  here .
  • Use public transportation to get to work and explore the City. Check out  RideKC’s website  for maps, schedules, fare information, accessibility information, and rider guides. Bus route maps are also available at Powell Community Center and City Hall.
  • Ride a bike to work. The City has added several bike racks along Johnson Drive, a maintenance station at the Mission Market site, and bike lanes to Lamar Avenue, in addition to the Rock Creek Trail and Nall Avenue Trail. Keep an eye out for City-sponsored bike maintenance and giveaway events, bike safety classes, and Bike Month and Bike to Work Day events. See below for an interactive map of trails and bikeways in the Kansas City metro area!

Interactive Kansas City Regional Trails and Bikeways Map, created by MARC. Click on the Legend in the upper left corner to learn what the different color routes represent.


2022 Municipal GHG Inventory

Emissions by Sector

In addition to the community emissions inventory, Mission also conducted a municipal inventory. In 2022, the City's internal emissions totaled 19,156 mt CO 2 e. When comparing comparable emissions sources with the community inventory, municipal emissions make up 1.4% of the community's GHG emissions. Municipal emissions are also broken down into sectors: building energy, transportation, waste, refrigerants, and consumption-based sources. Consumption-based sources include emissions from asphalt and cement use, food purchases, computer and hardware purchases, paper purchases, and well-to-wheel emissions (emissions from the transport of gasoline and diesel from the well to the gas station).

For the City's internal operations, the largest emissions sector is consumption-based sources (81%). Below are two figures, one including this sector and one excluding this sector. Due to the large size of the consumption-based sector, removing it allows for clearer understanding of the other sectors' sizes. Use the arrows to the right and left to switch between figures. When including consumption-based emissions, the building energy sector makes up 9% of municipal emissions, the transportation sector makes up 7%, the refrigerants sector makes up 2%, and the waste sector makes up 1%.

Excluding consumption-based emissions, building and streetlight energy use makes up 46% of municipal emissions, transportation makes up 39%, refrigerants make up 9%, and waste makes up 6%. The building energy sector includes electricity and natural gas usage. The transportation sector includes Mission's City fleet and equipment, employee commuting, and business travel. The refrigerant sector includes municipal refrigerant use and the waste sector includes municipally-generated waste.

Emissions by Source

Below are two figures breaking down the sectors into sources. Similar to the previous section, the first figure includes consumption-based sources and the second figure excludes these sources. With these sources included, the three-largest municipal emission sources are cement production (79%), electricity use (7%), and employee commuting (6%). Cement production requires lots of fossil fuel combustion, therefore generating many emissions. Some new technologies are substituting the limestone in cement for more sustainable materials such as fly ash. Green concrete is helpful in stormwater management, as it contains algae and is porous, which helps soak up stormwater runoff.

Excluding consumption-based sources, the three-largest sources of municipal emissions are electricity use (37%, 1,231 mt CO 2 e), employee commuting (35%, 1,159 mt CO 2 e), and natural gas use (14%, 457 mt CO 2 e). This is followed by vehicle fleet and equipment (7%, 256 mt CO 2 e), solid waste (7%, 230 mt CO 2 e), business travel (0.2%, 7 mt CO 2 e), and stationary diesel use (0.06%, 2 mt CO 2 e).

What the City is Doing

A worker in a fluorescent yellow vest holds a clipboard and looks up at the ceiling lights in a hallway of one of Mission's City buildings.

Completing an energy audit of the City's buildings.

In addition to the City’s sustainability-related programs included in the What You Can Do section, there are several other events, activities, and initiatives listed below in which the City is involved.

  • Energy efficiency upgrades in all City buildings, including improved thermostat controls, weatherization, and testing and balancing of HVAC systems.
  • Newer, more energy-efficient technologies for the swimming pool at Powell Community Center.
  • Involvement in programs such as Tree City USA, Adopt-A-Park, and Adopt-A-Street.
  • Sustainability education at City events and attendance at regional climate action conferences
  • Enrollment in Evergy’s wind energy program, Renewable Direct.
  • Replacement of all old lightbulbs with LEDs in all City buildings and streetlights.
A worker replaces a streetlight with an LED bulb high up on a crane next to power lines.

Replacing streetlights with LED bulbs.

Next Steps

The City of Mission is making significant progress community-wide and internally to reduce emissions, and therefore carbon footprints. In light of the climatic changes expected to happen due to warming temperatures, it is important to keep tracking emissions and actively work to reduce them. There are many ways for Mission residents to reduce their own emissions, and the City is working hard to reduce community and municipal emissions. To learn more about the inventories, check out the GHG inventory report on the City's website. Keep checking back for sustainability updates and thank you for reading this StoryMap!

Visual depiction of the greenhouse effect; solar radiation entering the atmosphere (the orange arrows) gets trapped by GHGs in the atmosphere (the light blue circles) and Earth warms up.

Cover of the 2021 Climate Action by MARC and Climate Action KC.

Mission Sustainability Commission learns about the native plant demonstration garden that was installed outside City Hall in 2021.

Total Mission community emissions in 2022 by sector.

Percentage of total emissions that building energy emissions comprise. This includes emissions from commercial, industrial, and residential buildings.

Building energy emissions broken down by source.

Percentage of total emissions that transportation emissions comprise.

Transportation emissions broken down by source.

Percentage of total emissions that waste and wastewater emissions comprise.

Waste and wastewater emissions broken down by source.

Total community emissions in 2022 by sector (inside pie chart) and source (outside pie chart).

Change in total emissions between the baseline year of 2005 and the most recent inventory year of 2022. Emissions decreased 59% between the two years.

Mission residents celebrate the Johnson Drive road diet in 2022.

Completing an energy audit of the City's buildings.

Replacing streetlights with LED bulbs.