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Is San Antonio On Track To Achieve The Goal Of Carbon Neutrality By 2050?

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Flickr/Nan Palmero http://bit.ly/2qc7wsZ
Flickr/Nan Palmero http://bit.ly/2qc7wsZ

According to the City of San Antonio's Climate Action & Adaptation Plan, adopted in 2019, greenhouse gas emissions need to decrease by 4-5% every year in order to meet goals of reducing emissions 41% by 2030, 71% by 2040, and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.

Numbers out this month show San Antonio's total community emissions declined only 0.2% from 2016-2019 — a 4% decrease per city resident.

The Greenhouse Gas Inventory aims to track emissions of greenhouse gases that are related to climate change.

Officials say progress was hampered by an increase of emissions attributable to the municipality's 4% population growth — which meant more people in energy-consuming buildings and more vehicles on the roads — despite the closure of CPS Energy's J.T. Deely coal plant in 2018.

What else can we learn from the latest inventory? Which entities are the key emitters of greenhouse gases in San Antonio? What more can be done to reduce emissions within municipal boundaries?

How is the city working to achieve its carbon targets? What impact did the pandemic have on progress toward this and other climate-related goals?

What's next for San Antonio in terms of electric vehicle charging stations? Do officials expect the Biden administration's infrastructure plan to benefit the city's climate adaptation?

Guest: Doug Melnick, Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of San Antonio

"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org or tweet @TPRSource.

*This interview was recorded on Wednesday, April 21.

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