Kickoff to Local Climate Action in the Borough

The Borough of Mechanicsburg recognizes that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activity are catalyzing the effects climate change, the consequences of which pose substantial risks to the future health, wellbeing, and prosperity of our community. In partnership with the Penn State University Local Climate Action Program (LCAP), the Borough has developed an inventory of our 2022 local emissions to create a baseline for future actions.

Overwhelming evidence shows that human activities are increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases and changing the global climate. The most significant contributor is the burning of fossil fuels for transportation, electricity generation and other purposes, which introduces large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Collectively, these gases intensify the natural greenhouse effect, causing global average surface and lower atmospheric temperatures to rise, threatening the safety, quality of life, and economic prosperity of global communities.

This inventory marks the completion of Milestone One of the Five ICLEI Climate Mitigation Milestones. The next steps are to forecast emissions, set an emissions-reduction target, and create a robust climate action plan that identifies specific quantified strategies that can cumulatively meet that target. This inventory shows that Residential Energy and Commercial Energy as well as communitywide transportation patterns will be particularly important to focus on with our future strategies. Through these efforts and others, the Borough of Mechanicsburg can achieve environmental, economic, and social benefits beyond reducing emissions.

Interested in reading more about the inventory? Check out the full 2022 Inventory Analysis!