Fort Lauderdale Net Zero Plan 2025

20  BACKGROUND

Fort Lauderdale is facing more frequent and severe climate events that come with increased costs for disaster response, infrastructure improvements, and potential loss of property and life. The City’s economy, heavily reliant on tourism and real estate, could suffer significant setbacks without global action to address the root cause of climate change, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Supporting a net zero future is essential for the City’s resilience and sustainability and is a cost-effective strategy to reduce long-term financial burdens. By reducing GHG emissions, the City can unlock opportunities for innovation, attract green investments, and foster economic prosperity, ensuring a safer and more prosperous future for its residents.

What is the Goal?

The City of Fort Lauderdale is committed to achieving net zero in municipal operations by 2040 and in community (Citywide) emissions by 2050.

What Guides this Plan? While climate resilience in Fort Lauderdale has long been a Citywide priority, the main driver of this Net Zero Plan (Plan) is the reduction of GHG emissions, the root cause of the challenges from climate impacts facing the City. Fort Lauderdale, as one of many players, must be part of, and demonstrate its commitment to, the global effort to reduce GHG emissions. This Plan represents the starting point for the pathway toward net zero. Recognizing that this path requires a collaborative effort, the Plan is focused on strategies and actions that the community and the municipality need to take in the sectors of energy, transportation and mobility, solid waste, urban forests and parks, aviation, and water and wastewater. In addition, a suite of actions aimed at municipal administration enables tracking and reporting,

enhancing the transparency of the proposed actions outlined in this Plan, while also facilitating green workforce development and advancing GHG mitigation goals. Within these sectors, the plan provides 15 strategies—8 community strategies and 7 municipal strategies to reduce emissions. However, the true impact of the Plan depends on the effective implementation of the 55 actions under the umbrella of these 15 strategies. These 55 actions are projected to reduce community and municipal GHG emissions by 97% and 96%, respectively, by 2050. Strategies and actions put forth in this Plan are prioritized by co-benefits such as cost savings, economic impact, reduced inequality, climate risk mitigation, reduced traffic congestion,

FORT LAUDERDALE NET ZERO PLAN