Project Details
| Description | Transportation Sustainable Solutions GHG Inventories & Climate Action Plans |
| Location | Sunrise, FL |
| Client/Owner | City of Sunrise |
City of Sunrise, Florida: Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Forecast
Establishing a baseline assessment for key areas of sustainability performance is crucial in order to identify opportunities, quantify progress, and assess future opportunities. One key area is the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions which contribute to global climate change. RS&H completed a GHG inventory for Sunrise that allows the City to understand its contribution to heat-trapping pollution changing the climate, and also establishes a reference point for emissions reduction measures.
Local Government Operations and Community Inventories
RS&H prepared Local Government Operations (LGOP) and Community emissions Inventories for the 2016 baseline year. The LGOP Inventory quantified emissions sources directly owned, operated and controlled by the City, including fuel and electricity use of buildings/facilities; streetlights and traffic signals; vehicle fleet operations; and fugitive emissions. Also included were emissions related to the City’s wastewater utility, which operates three water treatment plants (WTPs) and three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serving Sunrise and neighboring communities.
The Community Inventory included: community industrial, commercial and residential electricity, natural gas and other fuel consumption; transportation (limited to on-road freight and motor vehicle travel); water/wastewater use; and solid-waste generation. RS&H calculated community-wide transportation emissions as a function of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) within the study area by modeling roadway networks using the South Florida Regional Planning Model. Both the LGOP and Community Inventories were completed in accordance with ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability protocols.
The Future of Sustainability for the City of Sunrise
RS&H also prepared Business as Usual (BAU) GHG emissions forecasts for both Community and LGOP GHG emissions over a 15-year time horizon. The projection estimates how factors such as population growth, energy use, water use, and transportation demands might affect future emissions. A BAU scenario assumes no policy or technological changes are put in place to affect the GHG baseline. By comparing the BAU forecast with the baseline, Sunrise can evaluate investments to reduce emissions.
