NOAA, Chicago partner on climate plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

With help from NOAA, a caucus of Chicago’s metropolitan mayors released today one of the first regional climate plans in the United States. It calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% from 2005 levels by 2050, and highlights ways to equitably build climate resilience and a vibrant economy at the municipal level by 2050.

The 2021 Climate Action Plan for the Chicago Region, co-authored by the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and the NOAA Climate Program Office, will serve a region which is home to nearly 9 million people in more than 280 cities, towns, and villages.

“This climate action plan is an excellent step toward achieving a net-zero, climate-resilient economy for the Chicago metro region. This plan can serve as a national model for metropolitan areas across the country,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves. “Ambitious pushes like this will unleash climate innovation, leading to better technologies and good-paying jobs.”