For more than a decade, Cleveland mayors have been pushing for the city, and everyone living and working in it, to do more to confront climate change. A big part of that effort is reducing the amount of carbon dioxide that’s released into the air within the city’s borders.
Here’s why that matters.
What are carbon emissions?
Carbon dioxide is a colorless and odorless gas that is a small part of the air we breathe and an important component of Earth’s atmosphere. Trees, plants and oceans are constantly absorbing it in a process called the carbon cycle.
Burning fossil fuels — such as oil, gasoline, natural gas and coal — releases more carbon dioxide and other gasses (emissions) into the air than the extremely slow natural carbon cycle can process.
Over time, those gases have collected in the atmosphere, where they contribute to the greenhouse effect — trapping heat that would normally dissipate. That excess trapped heat is the primary cause of climate change.
‘Net zero’ carbon emissions are a goal for Cleveland and other cities. What does that mean?
Net zero is a goal to remove at least as much carbon from the air as human activity emits.
There are two ways to approach this, according to World Resources Institute, an independent research and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.
One way is to reduce human-caused emissions to as close to nothing as possible. That can be done by switching to energy sources that don’t emit carbon, such as solar or wind power. (Or in the case of Cleveland-Cliffs’ steel mill, transitioning to technology that relies on hydrogen instead of coal.)
The other approach has two elements: removing more carbon from the atmosphere — naturally, by growing more trees, and with technology. Direct air capture and storage (DACS) is a process that removes carbon from the air and stores it deep underground.
When did net zero become a goal for Cleveland and why?
The city has been moving this direction for more than a decade. Former Mayor Frank Jackson established the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and in 2009 organized a summit that led to a 10-year initiative called Sustainable Cleveland. In 2018, the city’s climate action plan called for getting all of Cleveland’s electricity from renewable sources by 2050.
Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration released the latest Climate Action Plan (CAP) and Municipal Action Plan (MAP) in April. The climate plan outlines priorities and plans for the city’s work with residents, businesses and other partners. The municipal plan focuses on the city’s own operations.
The climate plan is a blueprint to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the city by 63.3% through 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Why do carbon emissions matter for people in a city like Cleveland?
“The impacts of climate change on Cleveland are clear,” the city’s climate plan states. It cites examples: the poor air quality in summer 2023 due to smoke from wildfires in Canada; the tornadoes that knocked out power for tens of thousands of residents in 2024; and the record-setting mild temperatures during winter 2023-24.
The Cuyahoga County Planning Commission has more on the local effects, including the spread of invasive plant species and insects that can carry disease.
There are other more direct and local benefits from reducing fossil fuel use aside from reducing carbon emissions, like reducing pollutants that affect health.
Cleveland is an “Asthma Capital” with the seventh-highest asthma rates in the country, according to the climate plan. The report also cited a 2016 study that found that air pollution was responsible for between 600 and 1,400 premature deaths, almost 13,000 asthma attacks and more than 63,000 lost workdays that year in Northeast Ohio.
Is there anything I can do?
Yes! The Office of Sustainability also produced a Community Climate Action Toolkit that explains how residents, businesses and community groups can help implement actions outlined in the climate plan.