Climate Action

Over the long term, climate change is one of the greatest threats to our region’s ongoing prosperity and livability. With rising temperatures and more severe weather events — from floods to droughts — farm crops suffer, infrastructure is threatened, lakes and streams are at risk, and public health declines. Black, Indigenous, and people of color are disproportionately impacted by climate change, making existing disparities in our region worse.

The Met Council is committed to helping our region be resilient to climate change. We provide tools to local governments to help them reduce their emissions and adapt to climate change impacts, and we are working to do the same in our operations and facilities. We continue to work with our partners to understand climate impacts and evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Climate Action Planning Summit
Tuesday, December 10
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location to be announced

A catered lunch will be provided.

Join the Metropolitan Council for a climate and natural systems conversation as we prepare to implement Imagine 2050. This event is open to local government employees.

We want your input

Minnesota set a high bar with the climate action goal to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It will take all of us in the region to accomplish this goal together, and many of us are already leading this work in our local communities.

State statute now requires the Metropolitan Council to include climate mitigation and adaptation in the regional development guide starting with Imagine 2050 and requires climate mitigation and adaptation actions in comprehensive plans. We want your input on what those local minimum requirements should look like.

Reducing our emissions and adapting for change

Our vision for the Met Council is that we reduce our contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and make our services and facilities resilient to the impacts of climate change. Our five-year, internally focused Climate Action Work Plan builds on our ongoing mitigation and adaptation work. It unifies our efforts across Met Council divisions, commits our organization to new initiatives, and incorporates environmental justice principles.

Preparing for increased flooding and extreme heat

We created the Climate Vulnerability Assessment to help the Met Council and local governments prepare for the impacts of climate change, with the goal of preserving valuable local and regional assets. The tool’s interactive maps allow users to identify areas where localized flooding and extreme heat pose threats to infrastructure and human health, and to make plans to mitigate the impacts or adapt for them.

Tracking greenhouse gas emissions

The Twin Cities Greenhouse Gas Inventory provides local governments with customized data about greenhouse gas emissions from their city or township across key sectors. The inventory currently hosts 2018 data; an update to data, creating a time series will be completed by 2024.

Planning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

The Greenhouse Gas Strategy Planning Tool was developed to support local governments with climate action planning. The tool quantifies how specific strategies in key sectors (energy use in buildings; transportation; conservation and forestry) may reduce future greenhouse gas emissions relative to a 2018 baseline. We’ve done the data crunching so users can focus on decision-making and prioritize effective strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Providing resources to expand solar energy use

By state law, cities and townships must plan for the protection and development of access to direct sunlight for solar energy systems in their comprehensive plans. The Met Council provides technical assistance to support solar energy planning efforts. We have collected a comprehensive online catalog of resources in collaboration with the Great Plains Institute, McKnight Foundation, Minnesota GreenStep Cities, and the SolSmart Program.

Enhancing and preserving our tree canopy

As temperatures rise, preserving and enhancing tree canopy will be critical for carbon absorption, improving air quality, reducing local temperatures, and enhancing mental health. Growing Shade combines local stories with an interactive mapping tool to help local governments decide how and where to improve their tree canopy. Map layers allow users to see the intersection between tree canopy, income, race, and other factors in order to prioritize where to plant and maintain trees.

Energy efficiency in our wastewater operations

Improving energy efficiency in our wastewater treatment operations

Wastewater treatment is energy intensive. The regional system uses $17 million of electricity and gas each year. We continuously pursue opportunities to improve energy efficiency as we design and implement energy-efficient technologies and equipment, optimize the performance of our facilities, and conduct proactive maintenance. Learn more about our wastewater treatment energy and sustainability efforts.

Reducing transportation emissions

Transportation represents the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., and the second largest in Minnesota. The Met Council and the Minnesota Department of Transportation are laying the groundwork for building a regional electric vehicle charging network.

Transit is a sustainable alternative to driving automobiles. While emissions from public buses represent a small fraction of all transportation-related emissions, we are working to reduce these emissions. We are implementing a Zero-Emission Bus Transition Plan.