GHG EMISSIONS
2015 INVENTORY BY SECTOR
A GHG inventory was prepared for the Ventura County General Plan Update using a baseline year of 2015. The GHG inventory was organized by emissions sector (e.g., transportation, building energy, etc.) and focused on the emissions that were generated by residents and businesses operating within the unincorporated county. The inventory includes sources within each sector that are under some degree of jurisdictional control by the County, in accordance with established GHG accounting protocols and state guidance. The total communitywide emissions for the unincorporated area in 2015 were approximately 1,712,028 metric tons (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) GHG emissions.
GHG Reduction Progress
Comparing 2015 to 2024, the largest emissions reductions occurred in on-road transportation, oil and gas production, and building electricity. Transportation emissions declined primarily due to cleaner vehicles, improved fuel economy, increased electric vehicle adoption, and VMT (vehicle miles traveled) post-COVID. Oil and gas emissions decreased as a result of declining production and improved methane management. Building electricity emissions dropped sharply because the County transitioned to Clean Power Alliance’s 100% Green Power option in 2019 and California’s electric grid has continued to become cleaner with increased renewable energy generation. These reductions have been partially offset by increases in solid waste and building natural gas emissions, making those sectors key opportunities for future emissions reductions.
2024 INVENTORY BY SECTOR
An updated GHG inventory was prepared for unincorporated Ventura County for 2024. The GHG inventory was organized by emissions sector (e.g., transportation, building energy, etc.) and focused on the emissions that were generated by residents and businesses operating within the unincorporated county. The inventory includes sources within each sector that are under some degree of jurisdictional control by the County, in accordance with established GHG accounting protocols and state guidance. The total communitywide emissions for the unincorporated area in 2024 were approximately 1,222,440 metric tons (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) GHG emissions.
Watch this 15-minute video to learn more about the 2024 inventory.
Biggest Drivers
The 2015 communitywide inventory was used to help forecast GHG emissions for future years, including 2020, 2030, 2040, and 2050, based on projected trends in population, housing, employment, and transportation activity over time, consistent with County and regional projections. In doing so, the County was able to identify the emissions sectors that are anticipated to grow the fastest and establish strategies to reduce the emissions before they’ve occurred. As shown in the figure below, the transportation and building energy sectors represent the two largest emissions sectors within the unincorporated county, and these sectors are anticipated to grow in proportion over the coming decades.
The figure above depicts emissions under a Business As Usual (BAU) scenario, meaning that the forecasted values assume no additional efforts or legislative actions (either at the state or local level) will be made to reduce GHG emissions in the future. The “BAU activities plus state and federal actions” scenario shown in the figure below, under “Reduction Targets and Goals,” represents GHG reductions that are anticipated to be realized in the future, without any local government action. Such actions include, but are not limited to, improving vehicle fuel standards and increasing the amount electricity generated by renewable sources.
The top four emissions sectors compromise nearly 90% of unincorporated Ventura County’s GHG emissions in 2015.
Transportation
Building Energy
Solid waste
Stationary source
REDUCTION TARGETS AND GOALS
The County’s GHG reduction targets are aligned with the state’s GHG reduction targets for 2020 and 2030, the horizon year for the Ventura County General Plan, and a longer-term state policy goal for 2050. Below are some of the County’s GHG emissions reduction targets relative to the County’s 2015 communitywide GHG emissions levels:
- 2 percent below 2015 levels by 2020,
- 41 percent below 2015 levels by 2030,
- 61 percent below 2015 levels by 2040, and
- 80 percent below 2015 levels by 2050.
The graph below shows how GHG emissions are anticipated to change in the unincorporated community between 2015 (the County’s first GHG inventory year) and 2050. The first two scenarios reflect the BAU and “BAU activities plus state and federal actions” forecasts described previously. The “Implementing 2040 General Plan Programs” inventory reflects additional GHG reductions that would occur in addition to the “BAU activities plus state and federal actions” based on the implementation of programs and policies in the 2040 General Plan. These three scenarios are charted in reference to the County’s GHG reduction goals identified previously.
There is still a gap between emission reduction targets and emission reductions from CAP programs. The County of Ventura and the Ventura County Climate Emergency Council are actively looking at additional programs and projects to meet the GHG reduction targets and goals.