Erie County is a leader in New York State in advancing climate action, including receiving the highest level of recognition in both the New York State Climate Smart Communities and Clean Energy Communities programs. To further its climate program, in 2019 the County adopted an internal operations climate plan and in 2024 adopted a community climate plan. The former was led by the Erie County Green Team and includes climate pollution reduction targets for its internal operations. Over the past five years, this climate action work has also had financial benefits including $6 million in cost savings, $1.2 million in awards, $1 million in rebates, and $30.5 million in grants.
In 2024, progress was made implementing actions identified in Erie County’s climate plans across a broad range of projects. This report gives an overview of some key initiatives and includes the most recent greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory of Erie County’s government operations, which is used to track progress in achieving its internal operations climate action goals. This inventory shows an increase from last year and the need for more action.
Click HERE for the full 2024 Erie County Climate Action Update document.