Fort Lauderdale Net Zero Plan 2025

2  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Why Net Zero? Fort Lauderdale has faced significant climate impacts in recent years, including extreme rainfall events, sunny day tidal flooding, hotter temperatures, and the threat of more powerful hurricanes. Reducing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is critical to mitigating the effects of these climate impacts, and Fort Lauderdale must do its part to reduce its contribution to global emissions. A net zero GHG emissions future for Fort Lauderdale is essential to protect the City’s residents, infrastructure, and economy, and to contribute to the greater effort to tackle the climate crisis. Net zero is also an opportunity for innovation and economic prosperity across the City. A low-carbon/net zero Fort Lauderdale will be a better community in all respects for residents and businesses in their day-to-day lives. The City of Fort Lauderdale is committed to achieving net zero in municipal operations by 2040 and in community (Citywide) emissions by 2050. This Net Zero Plan (the Plan) lays out

Net Zero, Simply Stated Net Zero is a balance between the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere. It requires cutting carbon emissions and absorbing GHGs from the atmosphere.

Fort Lauderdale's vulnerability to climate change is evident in the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events. In April 2023, a 26-inch rainstorm in just 8 hours caused catastrophic flash flooding, inundating over 1,000 homes, rendering critical roadways impassable for up to 48 hours, and leaving some residential streets under 4-5 feet of water for nearly a week. Additionally, record-breaking high tides in recent years have resulted in chronic flooding in low-lying areas, with 180 tide events exceeding the City’s flood threshold in 2023 and 119 of these tides recorded in 2024 .

a comprehensive roadmap for reducing municipal and community-wide GHG emissions, aligning the City's efforts with the goal of keeping global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius (°C) as outlined in the Paris Agreement. Achieving the GHG emissions reductions proposed in this Plan will require continued engagement with key stakeholders and community members.

FORT LAUDERDALE NET ZERO PLAN