The City of La Crosse Common Council adopted a Climate Action Plan for the community in January 2023. It is the City’s roadmap for achieving its GHG emission reduction and climate resilience goals and is implemented by the Climate Action Plan Steering Committee. The plan helps those who live and work in La Crosse imagine and achieve a future where the earth and all who live on it thrive. The plan establishes greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets through 2030 that align with recommendations from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This goal builds toward a 2019 resolution of reaching carbon neutrality communitywide by 2050.


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The Climate Action Plan is organized around nine community-wide focus areas of GHG reduction and climate adaptation. Each sector has overarching Strategies established to meet 2030 goals and is organized for detailed implementation Actions. The links below provide further information and guidance on sections of the plan:

The Challenge

The complex systems that make up modern civilization result in stressors on the delicate balance of our ecosystems. The combustion of fossil fuels is warming Earth’s atmosphere and changing our climate. Climate change is already affecting La Crosse and its impacts are projected to become much more severe in the coming decades. These impacts also contribute to additional strain on vulnerable populations, social systems, and overall community resilience. 

The Opportunity

Transformation of our energy system is essential to stop burning fossil fuels. This transition presents an opportunity for La Crosse. Directing our energy investments into renewable sources will make them more resilient and provide for local job creation. Innovation, technology, and collective social change inherent in climate action can also support greater community abundance and shared equity.

GHG Emission Reduction Goal in Global Context

To validate the City’s emissions reduction goal, the recommendations of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were considered. The scientific consensus of recent IPCC recommendations is that it is necessary to reduce global GHG emissions at a pace that will limit global warming to 1.5°C or no more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels. This is the threshold for dangerous climate impacts. 

The UNEP Emissions Gap Report published in November 2019 asserts that by 2030, global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will need to be 25% to 55% lower to put the world on the pathway to limiting global warming to below 2°C or 1.5°C respectively by 2030. 

Our Carbon Reduction Goal

This plan seeks to re-affirm the City’s commitment to reduce GHG emissions while aligning with the recommendations of the IPCC. These commitments were accounted for in the formulation of appropriate carbon reduction goals for La Crosse:      

The City of La Crosse’s GHG emission reduction goals are to reduce community wide GHG emissions by 40% to 50% below 2019 levels by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. 

“Carbon neutrality” means annual zero net anthropogenic (human caused or influenced) CO2 emissions by a certain date. Carbon neutrality means every ton of anthropogenic CO2 emitted is compensated with an equivalent amount of CO2 removed (e.g., via carbon sequestration).

Climate Action Plan as Living Plan

The Climate Action Plan is intended as a “living plan” rather than a static document. This means that the implementation phase of this plan should be characterized by intermittent measurement of progress and plan adjustments. As a “living plan,” the 2030 emission reduction goal should be seen as a guiding constant and recognition should be given that initial implementation actions may not yet fully achieve long-term plan goals. Intermittent plan progress measurements and adjustments should identify additional actions, or increases in action implementation targets, as needed to meet the ultimate 2030 GHG reduction goal. 

Implementation is For Everyone

The causes and impacts of climate change are broad.  Solving it must be equally broad. Some actions will need to be led by City Council, City departments, and/or the business community.  In addition, there are some things that households and individuals can do to make an impact. Ultimately, achieving the visionary goals outlined in this plan will require engagement and a sense of responsibility not only by the City of La Crosse leadership and staff, but by the community itself as well. It is critical for all to remain engaged and active, advancing and advocating for actions you feel are important.     

Next Steps and Implementation

The Climate Action Plan is only the beginning of an ongoing process to evaluate and advance the community’s climate resilience, GHG emissions, and overall sustainability goals. The plan includes a Climate Action Implementation section providing detailed actions in a framework for launching, guiding, monitoring, and evaluating the execution of this plan.