'Slight Uptick' In Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Says Sustainable Princeton Report

PRINCETON, NJ — During the recent Council meeting, Sustainable Princeton’s Executive Director, Christine Symington, presented a status report on the Municipality’s Climate Action Plan.

Symington told Council that greenhouse gas emissions have seen a slight uptick since COVID-19 restrictions have eased.

When the Climate Action Plan was adopted in 2019, the goal was to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050 with some interim goals.

“Now that things are getting back to normal, our emissions our heading upward again,” Symington said.

A majority of the greenhouse gas emissions are coming from heating and cooling at homes, schools, and commercial buildings, she said. Another portion of it comes from transportation, followed by solid waste and waste water treatment.

Among the bright spots, the Municipality is seeing an increase in solar installations, Symington said. Since 2017, solar installations have increased by 73 percent in Princeton.

Princeton also hired an open space manager, which was one of the goals outlined in the action plan. The preservation of the Lanwin tract an the street tree inventory currently underway add to the list of positives, Symington said.

Councilmembers asked Symington what Princeotn could do to reduce emissions.

Because built-in environment and transportation is the biggest source of emissions, when making changes to buildings in 2022 Princeton should do it the most sustainable and efficient way possible, Symington said.

“When it comes to transportation, we do need to have better infrastructure for biking and walking and make it easier to live in Princeton without needing a car,” Symington said.

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