Climate Mitigation Quick Start Guide Milestone Three: Climate Action Planning (Volume 3)

This Quick Start Guide helps local government sustainability and planning professionals create a Climate Action Plan that enables local progress toward a clear and measurable reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A Climate Action Plan is a description of actions, policies, programs, and projects to reduce GHG emissions. The plan conveys both the overarching vision and a detailed roadmap to guide local efforts. The Climate Action Plan can stand alone or be incorporated into another plan or document your local government is preparing such as a sustainability plan, comprehensive plan, or energy plan. This Quick Start Guide will help you create a plan that serves as a framework that documents, coordinates, and measures your local government's efforts moving forward. It will also help you create a plan that is actionable via a timeline, financing, and assignment of responsibility to departments or staff. This Quick Start Guide is the third in a series to assist local governments to understand and act to reduce their impact on climate change. Creating a Climate Action Plan is the third step in a framework developed by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA (ICLEI) called the “Five Milestones for Climate Mitigation”.