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Greenhouse Gas Emissions
2022 Community Emissions Inventory
The City recently completed its first greenhouse gas emissions inventory to measure communitywide emissions in Campbell. Inventories are created to understand the where emissions come from and to create a baseline to measure progress towards reducing emissions and meet State goals.
Following ICLEI's Community Protocol, emissions in Campbell were measured for the following sectors:
- Natural gas used in residential and commercial buildings
- Electricity used in residential and commercial buildings
- On-road passenger travel and freight travel in Campbell (excluding trips that start and stop outside of Campbell – what we refer to as "pass through" trips that are captured by other cities' inventories)
- Off-road equipment, like construction equipment
- Water treatment and water delivery to Campbell
- Solid waste produced by Campbell residents and businesses (the majority of these emissions come from food going into landfills rather than being composted)
Results of the Study
The Campbell community emitted over 209,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, or MT CO2e. Carbon dioxide equivalent is a metric used to compare the global warming potential of different greenhouse gases by converting them to the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide. (Please note these results have been updated since they were presented to City Council on 09/17/2024.)
Future Forecast
An emissions inventory sets a reference point for a single year; however, annual emissions change over time due to factors such as population and job growth, as well as new technologies and policies. A GHG emissions forecast estimates future GHG emission by accounting for these anticipated changes.
Business-as-Usual Forecast
The BAU forecast shows how future GHG emissions would change if consumption trends continued as Campbell grows. The BAU does not include any emissions reductions associated with State regulations.
Legislative Adjusted Forecast
The adjusted forecast provides a forecast of how currently adopted state legislation (such as the Advanced Clean Cars or Renewables Portfolio Standards) would reduce emissions from the BAU scenario. The legislative adjusted scenario represents the State’s contribution to reducing local GHG emissions to meet State goals.
State Climate Goals
The State of California has set two goals for reducing emissions:
- Senate Bill 32: Reduce GHG emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 (SB 32 target year)
- Assembly Bill 1279: Make substantial progress towards carbon neutrality as soon as possible, but by no later than 2045
In order to meet these goals, Campbell would need to reduce annual emissions from 208,646 MT CO2e to 150,516 MT CO2e (a 28% reduction) in the next 5 years, and reduce emissions by 100% in the next 20 years.
Next Steps
The public draft of the plan is now available for review. You can download the plan here: Draft CAAP. The plan will be available for review through January 30, 2026. All comments should be emailed to tiffanyh@campbellca.gov.