ACTION ALERT: Mecklenburg County May Delay Climate Action by 15 Years. Speak Up!

Mecklenburg County is considering a significant change to its climate commitments: moving its net-zero carbon emissions goal from 2035 to 2050.

At the September 22 Board of County Commissioners meeting, County staff presented recommendations to reduce planned spending on energy-efficiency and renewable-energy projects while establishing a new interim target of reducing emissions from County operations by 35% by 2035.

Why is the County considering a change?

In 2021, Mecklenburg County adopted its Environmental Leadership Action Plan, committing to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from County operations by 2035.

Since then, staff have evaluated the costs of improving energy efficiency in County buildings, installing solar panels, and transitioning County vehicles to electricity.

Staff explained that the original program would cost approximately $175 million, including about $101 million in equipment and system replacements that would be necessary regardless of the County’s climate commitments.

With those investments, the planned projects would reduce emissions by 40% by 2035, leaving a substantial gap to reaching net zero.

Staff recommended a revised approach that would eliminate some planned solar installations and scale back certain energy-efficiency improvements. This would achieve a 35% reduction in emissions by 2035 while saving an estimated $44.8 million compared with the original program.

Staff also recommended moving the net-zero deadline to 2050.

Commissioners expressed disappointment about the proposed change while recognizing the financial challenges. No formal vote was taken at the meeting.

Climate leadership means staying committed to 2035

We recognize that achieving net-zero carbon emissions requires significant financial investment. County leaders have a responsibility to spend taxpayer dollars wisely and prioritize solutions that deliver the greatest benefits. 

Sustain Charlotte and members of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Climate Leaders have advocated for local government to make —and maintain — commitments to reducing carbon emissions. Together, we built critical support for the City of Charlotte’s Strategic Energy Action Plan and Mecklenburg County’s Environmental Leadership Action Plan, which were adopted by the City Council and the Board of County Commissioners, respectively. 

Our climate plans will only work if we, as a community, make the difficult decisions to fully implement them, focusing on long-term costs and benefits.

Mecklenburg County should maintain its original commitment to achieve net-zero emissions from County operations by 2035, rather than postponing the deadline to 2050.

Climate change is already affecting our community through extreme heat, flooding, and worsening air quality. These impacts disproportionately harm lower-income residents and historically underserved communities, making climate action an important matter of environmental justice.

While climate action has a price tag, delaying action carries costs of its own. 

Climate-related damage, rising energy expenses, and public health impacts can create even greater financial burdens over time. Investments in energy efficiency can reduce operating costs and save taxpayer dollars for decades.

Mecklenburg County should lead

As one of North Carolina’s largest counties, Mecklenburg has both the opportunity and the responsibility to lead in climate action and environmental justice. Postponing its net-zero deadline by 15 years would send the wrong message at a time when urgent action is needed.

Rather than lowering its ambitions, the County should strengthen its strategy for achieving the original goal by:

• Prioritizing investments that deliver substantial emissions reductions and long-term savings.
• Pursuing additional funding, partnerships, and emerging technologies.
• Establishing clear interim milestones and publicly reporting progress.
• Centering environmental justice in climate planning and investments.

Urge leaders to stay on track for 2035

We appreciate the County staff’s efforts to evaluate costs and identify practical solutions. Achieving net-zero emissions by 2035 will be challenging, but the long-term costs of delayed or slowed action will be higher—and disproportionately borne by our residents with the fewest resources to protect themselves from the impacts of climate change. 

Sustain Charlotte urges commissioners to honor their original commitment and develop a financially responsible plan (which incorporates the future costs of inaction today) to achieve it.

We invite you to email your County leaders and let them know why fighting climate change and sticking to the 2035 goal is important to YOU. We’ve made it easy to copy & paste their email addresses using the list below:

arthur.griffin@mecklenburgcountync.gov,elaine.powell@mecklenburgcountync.gov,george.dunlap@mecklenburgcountync.gov,laura.meier@mecklenburgcountync.gov,leigh.altman@mecklenburgcountync.gov,mark.jerrell@mecklenburgcountync.gov,susan.rodriguez-mcdowell@mecklenburgcountync.gov,vilma.leake@mecklenburgcountync.gov,yvette.townsendingram@mecklenburgcountync.gov,michael.bryant@mecklenburgcountync.gov,connect@sustaincharlotte.org