On December 9, Sustainable Pittsburgh’s Sustainability Practitioners Network (SPN) partnered with the Allegheny County Department of Sustainability for a working session supporting the development of the county’s Climate Action Plan (CAP).
This partnered convening provided a structured opportunity for sustainability practitioners from across sectors to engage with the county’s draft framework, better understand the current emissions landscape, and offer input on emerging strategies that will shape the next phase of the CAP.
Understanding the CAP Framework
The session opened with welcoming remarks from Sustainable Pittsburgh and Sarah Koenig, deputy director of the Allegheny County Sustainability Department, followed by an overview of the Climate Action Plan process. Koenig shared how the CAP is being developed through multiple phases of engagement, technical analysis, and coordination, with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while also creating jobs, lowering energy costs, supporting local businesses, protecting natural systems, and improving public health across Allegheny County. The completed CAP will include strategies for county government as well as community wide.
Participants were introduced to the draft vision, goals, and values guiding the plan, which emphasize equity and inclusion, healthy communities and ecosystems, and economic opportunity. Koenig then went through the draft CAP framework, which organizes strategies and actions across key sectors including buildings and built infrastructure, electricity grid, transportation, industry and fuels, food, waste, and resource use, and natural systems.
She then shared highlights from its communitywide greenhouse gas emissions inventory, including overall emissions, key trends, and how emissions are distributed across sectors. Buildings account for the largest share at just over 54% of total emissions, followed by industry at nearly 24%, transportation at 18%, and waste at 4%.
The presentation sparked questions from participants about the scope and depth of the inventory, including how Scope 3 emissions are addressed, the rationale behind specific carbon reduction targets, and whether the county should pursue more aggressive reductions within its own operations where it has greater control. Discussion also touched on practical considerations such as staff capacity, the “hassle factor” of implementation, and the importance of framing climate action around value creation.
Sector-Based Breakout Discussions
Following a short break, participants moved into two rounds of facilitated, sector-based table discussions. Each table focused on one of the draft CAP sectors and used strategy worksheets developed by evolveEA, who are partnering with the county through this planning process, to guide conversation. While the specific ideas varied by sector, the discussions generally centered on:
- Reacting to draft strategies and actions included in the CAP framework
- Identifying what is already working in the region and where momentum exists
- Highlighting gaps, challenges, or opportunities for refinement
- Sharing lessons learned from organizational and project-level experience
- Discussing what kinds of policies, tools, data, partnerships, or resources would be needed to move strategies forward
Several common themes emerged across the breakout discussions. Participants emphasized the importance of grounding climate strategies in affordability and real-world feasibility, the need for better coordination across jurisdictions and sectors, and the value of enabling infrastructure such as data, funding mechanisms, and technical capacity. Many also highlighted opportunities for the county to support municipalities and partners that lack staff or resources, and expressed interest in identifying implementation partners earlier in the process.
Looking Ahead
The session concluded with a discussion of next steps in the CAP process, including continued refinement of strategies and actions, prioritization in early 2026, and identification of implementation partners, timelines, and funding. Participants were encouraged to stay involved by sharing additional feedback, models, and case studies, and by considering the role their own organizations can play in implementing the plan. The county continues to welcome public input as part of the Climate Action Plan process and opportunities to provide feedback are available at alleghenycounty.us/climateactionplan.