A2Zero, Ann Arbor’s Climate Answer
The impending disaster of climate change has been on our civic mind for some time. The first Climate Action Plan was adopted in 2012. It was in response to the well-known problem of increasing global temperature and its causes, especially emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHG). Unfortunately, we have never met the expectations set forth in that plan to reduce emissions.
The logo for the A2Zero campaign
Presumably in part because of the alarming IPCC report in 2018, as well as many events attributed to global warming and climate change across the world, Ann Arbor City Council cranked up the expectations last year, when they passed a resolution calling for carbon neutrality in the City by 2030. This has resulted in a very ambitious proposal, the A2Zero initiative. City Staff was given a very brief time by Council to prepare, and the resulting plan can only be described as a rough draft. It is my hope that this can be regarded as a beginning of a longer, if intense, discussion. Please consult the A2Zero site for downloads and updates, as well as notification of workshops, presentations, and other opportunities.
This page is intended as an easy-access source of the plan and related documents, which are currently scattered across different sites and Council agendas. It will also list current blog posts on the subject.
Note: City Council approved the plan at its meeting on June 1, 2020.
Ann Arbor City Official Documents
A2Zero-Climate-Action-Plan-_2.0 (BIG FILE)
City Council action
November 4, 2019 Resolution requesting plan for carbon neutrality
April 20, 2020 resolution receiving the Plan and requesting more information
June 1, 2020 Agenda Item for Approval of A2Zero Plan
Explanatory documents as of May 18, 2020:
A2Zero Draft 10-Year Investment Scenario
A2Zero Investment Plan 5-14-20
Carbon Neutrality_Prioritization Matrix Populated
Continuing correspondence
Memorandum on A2Zero May 27, 2020.
This is a 60-page document, but only 11 pages include answers to questions from Council. The rest is fluff (technical term for miscellaneous and disorganized charts, pictures, and cartoons).
Blog posts
Climate Change and Ann Arbor: Investing in the Future (November 23, 2018)
Ann Arbor and the Climate Crisis: Policy and Outcomes (September 20, 2019)
Ann Arbor’s A2Zero Plan: The Challenge (May 18, 2020)
Ann Arbor’s A2Zero Plan: Estimating the Improbable (May 26, 2020)
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