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ɫ���� researchers have spent years diving deep into climate solutions for ɫ����. Now, the state Department of Natural Resources’ Environmental Protection Division has tapped them to help develop the state’s first climate action plan. 

The plan will help the state compete for up to $500 million in federal funding for climate mitigation efforts under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. Under a contract with the agency, the ɫ���� team will work with partners across ɫ���� to help the state develop its greenhouse gas inventory, develop a plan to address the most important immediate opportunities the state can take to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, and potentially help develop policies and programs to reach those goals. 

“ɫ���� and our academic, business, and community partners from across the state are uniquely suited to help ɫ���� identify implementation-ready solutions that can significantly reduce emissions and have beneficial impacts on ɫ���� communities,” said Marilyn A. Brown, Regents’ Professor and Brook Byers Professor of Sustainable Systems in the .

“As part of our work with Drawdown ɫ����, we already have been deeply involved in identifying climate pollution reduction strategies to drive economic and employment growth, improve air quality, deliver benefits to under-resourced residents, and protect the environment. That work gives us a great head start in providing the state the information it needs to develop ɫ����’s first climate action plan,” said.

ɫ����-Built Emissions Tracker Key Component

is an initiative of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation to accelerate progress toward net zero greenhouse gas emissions in ɫ����. Brown led the interdisciplinary science and policy team that the plan’s recommendations. 

Central to the project is the developed at ɫ���� as part of that project. The tool provides monthly insights into carbon emissions across ɫ����’s 159 counties, providing more timely, accurate, and cost-effective data than the traditional tools used in other climate planning efforts. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reviewed the tracker and gave special permission for the state to use it, said William J. Drummond, associate professor in the and co-principal investigator on the project.

Many other states will instead have to use more traditional bottom-up inventories that take longer to create and are not as frequently updated, he said.

“The work we have done has been peer-reviewed and published, and so it has a level of authoritativeness that other states may not enjoy,” said , who led the tracker’s development. “We are uniquely positioned to identify actionable solutions for ɫ����, help the state meet its incredibly tight timeline, and give ɫ���� a competitive advantage that other states just can’t match.” 

The Atlanta Regional Commission, which received separate funding to make a plan specific to metro Atlanta, also will use the tracker in its work. 

State Plan Due in March

The state’s priority plan is due in March, with the full plan due a year later. 

“The ɫ���� Environmental Protection Division is excited to work with ɫ���� in the development of the state's first climate action plan and appreciates all the work that ɫ���� and other Drawdown ɫ���� partners have done to lay the groundwork for this project,” said DeAnna Oser, assistant branch chief of the ɫ���� Environmental Protection Division’s Air Protection Branch.

The effort is focused on implementation-ready solutions. Brown said proposals could include projects that advance transportation electrification, energy-efficient housing, climate-smart agriculture, forest management, and urban tree canopies, among other opportunities.

She said it is exciting to see the years of work her team has put into climate mitigation practices and policies to help move ɫ���� closer to being climate-neutral. 

“We’ve always hoped that this work would have real policy impacts that will help improve our environment, economy, and society,” Brown said. “It’s exhilarating to see the state recognize and incorporate our work, and I look forward to seeing where it leads.”