The city of Columbia is not on track to meet its sustainability goals set in the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. The plan was created in 2019 to serve as an environmental action guide.
The CAAP outlines two major goals for Columbia, using its 2015 metrics as a baseline. The hope was to reduce carbon emissions by 35% by 2035, 80% by 2050 and to become carbon neutral by 2060. The city of Columbia also plans to reduce municipal operations emissions by 50% by 2035 and 100% by 2050.
The city of Columbia is currently not on track to meet these goals, based on calculations of recent emissions data. As of 2022, carbon emissions have only decreased by 3.1% since 2015. From 2021 to 2022, emissions decreased by 1.4%. If reduction continues at this rate, the city of Columbia will have decreased carbon emissions by 21.3% in 2035, not 35%. Without immense changes in the rate of emissions reduction, Columbia will not reach its goal by 2035 and will be put off track to be carbon neutral by 2060.
Leanne Tippett Mosby, vice chair of the Climate Environment Commission, said the slow emissions progress has not deterred the commission from promoting sustainable practices.
“Based on the trajectory so far, it would be very difficult for us to meet our goals,” Tippett Mosby said. “And we still kind of consistently promote, let’s keep those as goals, while at the same time, recognizing we may not meet them, but they are keeping at least that aspiration out there.”
Municipal operations emissions are divided across three main sectors: energy, transportation and waste. Functions such as building and facility energy usage, solid waste and water treatment facilities and employee commute make up this emission data.
Municipal operations emissions have decreased by 8.1% since the 2015 baseline, going from 58,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions to 54,000. From 2021 to 2022, municipal emissions rose from 52,000 to 54,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions.
The city of Columbia falling short of its emissions goals is largely due to decisions outside the Climate and Environment Commission’s control. Columbia is part of a larger electric transmission network called the Midcontinent Independent System Operator. This network independently controls electricity transmission in the northern part of the Midwest United States. Without both parties on the same page, sustainability goals can be hard to reach.
James Owen, the executive director of Renew Missouri, an organization focused on clean energy in Missouri, headquartered in Columbia, said the transmission network placed Columbia in a difficult position.
“They belong to a transmission group that doesn’t want renewable as much as they say they do,” Owen said. “I think that the city needs to be pushing back on that more. They simply just need to be more assertive in saying this is our goals, and this is what we want.”
In addition to carbon emissions setbacks, the city of Columbia has indefinitely suspended all recycling after a storm on April 20 destroyed the Material Recovery Facility.
Despite the setbacks, the community has found ways to incorporate sustainable practices. In 2023, 21.8% of Columbia’s electricity came from renewable energy sources, including wind, landfill gas and solar sources.
The University of Missouri has found ways to encourage sustainable practices as well. The College of Engineering Multiphysics Energy Research Center is working on projects including solar energy and energy efficiency.
Through the Center for Rural Energy Security, MU is set to open a new research initiative focused on providing context for renewable energy impacts in rural communities. This initiative will provide an examination of how energy infrastructure could affect rural areas, both socially and economically.
Sustain Mizzou, MU’s student-led sustainability organization, was established in 2004 and became an official campus program in 2021. Sustain Mizzou has led a variety of sustainability initiatives on campus, including on-campus recycling, community stream cleans and education on sustainability-related topics, as well as Tiger Tailgate Recycling, a student volunteer opportunity to encourage recycling at tailgates.
Residents in Columbia have taken steps toward sustainability, and moving forward, the Climate Environment Commission plans to continue pushing for sustainable practices.
“Democracy is not a spectator sport, you have to participate in your local government, and if there’s things that you want to see, then you need to speak up for them,” Tippett Mosby said.
Edited by Julianna Mejia | jmejia@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Caroline Sweet and Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com
