Charlotte City Council voted unanimously on Monday to adopt new city climate and energy goals. The city plans to reduce communitywide greenhouse gas emissions 72% by 2035 and reach net-zero by 2050.
Transportation emissions account for most of the city’s annual greenhouse gas pollution. The city plans to replace its light-duty vehicles with EVs by 2035 and the entire fleet by 2050.
The updated energy plan will focus more on community initiatives, such as the Carolina Carshare, Solarize Charlotte-Mecklenburg and the city’s upcoming GreenPrints.
Up until now, the city has focused on municipal services. Last year, the city spent nearly $50 million on its energy goals, including buying EVs, improving ways for people to get around on foot or by bicycle, and building EV-charging infrastructure.
Charlotte is well-positioned to weather a federal administration antagonistic toward climate goals. In 2024, Charlotte federal grants represented less than 2% of the total $88 million spent on energy goals.
The updated plan includes a climate risk assessment, which identified extreme heat as the number one climate risk that threatens city residents. Models based on NOAA climate data indicate that Charlotte is experiencing a 300% increase in annual extreme heat days.
In 2024, Charlotte experienced 19 days where temperatures met or exceeded 95 degrees, according to National Weather Service data. That’s not to say that milder years won’t happen; for example, Charlotte only experienced seven extreme heat days in 2020, all in July.
