San Francisco Outpaces its Greenhouse Gas Emissions Goals

A press release from the office of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee "announced that San Francisco greenhouse gas emissions in 2012 were 23 percent below 1990 levels and the City is on track to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent and 40 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2017 and 2025, respectively."

"An emissions inventory, conducted by the San Francisco Department of the Environment, shows that San Francisco’s Citywide emissions for electricity, natural gas, on-road transportation, fuel and waste totaled 4.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in 2012. This compares with 6.2 million metric tons in 1990. This represents a reduction of approximately 23 percent in relation to 1990 emissions. The data and reduction were independently, third-party verified by ICF International."

The press release cites programs with regard to vehicle fuels, commercial electricity, and recycling and composting as responsible for the additional carbon emissions reductions since 2010.  

The press release includes a lot more detail about the city's ongoing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as the announcement of CleanPowerSF, "a renewable energy alternative to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)."