Climate Action Plan
Climate Action Plan
Climate change poses a profound threat to ecosystems, economies, and human health worldwide. Rising global temperatures contribute to extreme weather events and sea level rise. Mitigation efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must be coupled with adaptation strategies so that we can protect our communities from the effects of climate change. Local governments are on the front lines of climate impacts. By promoting sustainable practices, investing in resilient infrastructure, and engaging residents in climate action, local initiatives can reduce emissions and adapt to changing conditions in ways that address their specific circumstances. The proposed Climate Action Plan (CAP) builds on prior efforts, including the 2019 Sustainability Plan (updated in 2025) and a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory based on 2019 data. The CAP will guide the City of Newark in reducing its contributions to climate change and identify strategies to help the City adapt to the effects of climate change.
What is the role of public engagement in the Climate Action Plan?
Public engagement with residents of Newark is important to understand what climate risks residents are worried about and what strategies they’d like to see the city implement to address those risks. Furthermore, public engagement will help the city identify ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while being responsive to residents’ hopes and/or concerns. Public engagement is critical to determining the best actions to implement in Newark. Public engagement opportunities will include workshops where you can share your ideas with us in person, as well as virtual engagement on this site. For the most up-to-date information on public engagement opportunities see the Meetings and Events Page and the Feedback Page.
Elements of the Climate Action Plan
Updated Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Report: A foundational element of Newark’s Climate Action Plan is an updated GHG Inventory Report. The updated GHG Inventory will serve 2 key purposes:
- Determine the largest opportunities for GHG reduction pathways.
- Provide a starting point from which to create future projections of GHG emissions under a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario and a GHG reduction pathway scenario.
GHG Reduction Pathways: Actionable measures that help reduce or eliminate GHG emissions are called GHG reduction pathways. These can include strategies like improved energy efficiency of buildings or transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable and low-to-no-emission energy sources. The GHG reduction pathways are critical in achieving Newark’s GHG emission targets and will be included in the Climate Action Plan.
Sequestration Integration: The Climate Action Plan will also consider the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide that is sequestered by Newark’s forested areas and tree canopy.
- Carbon sequestration is the process of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Plants naturally absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide and store it in their biomass, which is an invaluable tool for achieving net-zero emissions.
- Net-zero emissions refer to a state where amount of GHGs released by human activities are counterbalanced by the amount of GHGs removed from the atmosphere through absorption processes like carbon sequestration.
Resilience Strategies: Resilience is defined as the ability to “bounce back” after hazardous events, rather than merely reacting to impacts as they come. The Climate Action Plan will identify proactive resilience strategies that will prepare the City to adapt to the current and future impacts of climate change.
Public and Stakeholder Engagement: The process to develop the Climate Action Plan will include a robust community engagement and education effort. The engagement process will inform the public about GHG emission sources and collect feedback on GHG reduction and resilience strategies. For the most up-to-date information on upcoming engagement opportunities, view the Meetings and Events and Feedback pages.
Alignment with Existing Plans: State and local plans, such as the Delaware Climate Action Plan and Newark’s Community Sustainability Plan, will be reviewed to ensure that Newark’s plan aligns with existing climate-related efforts and goals.
City Point of Contact: If you would like additional information, please contact Jeff Martindale, Assistant City Manager, at jmartindale@newark.de.us