G. How will we know if we're reducing emissions?
Washoe County commits to calculating its community greenhouse gas emissions at least every five years (Strategy 1, Action 1). This data will tell us whether total emissions are going down.
In between full greenhouse gas inventories, community-wide "key performance indicators," or KPIs, can tell us whether our actions, combined with ongoing community activities, are resulting in outcomes that typically lead to emissions reductions (see Appendix 5).
For example, increased tree cover can result in lower emissions. For Strategy 2, net zero land use, we can use the Tree Equity score to learn whether tree cover is increasing.
Under Strategy 3: Reduce emissions, the KPIs vary by sector. For transportation, we expect emissions to go down if fewer vehicle miles are traveled, if more trips are taken by sustainable modes (eg biking or transit instead of gasoline vehicle), and if an increasing percent of vehicles on the road are Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEVs) instead of gasoline. For buildings, lower energy use (measured in KwH) will produce lower emissions. For waste, fewer pounds of waste per person means fewer landfill emissions.
And in Strategy 4, Produce cleaner energy, we can track whether consumer natural gas use goes down, whether the % of renewable purchased energy goes up, and whether the number of KwH of community solar power goes up. These KPIs would all imply that GHG emissions are going down.
We believe the Actions in this plan can contribute directly to the outcomes listed in these KPIs. And if our region meets the targets for these operational KPIs, we are likely to see emissions reductions.
