Madison Reporter

Dane County climate experts have pledged to increase their efforts to halve county-wide emissions by 2030 in response to a United Nations study indicating the probability of a warmer climate in the coming decades, according to a report by the Cap Times.

This commitment comes on the heels of Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway's announcement in April of a two-year strategy called "Climate Forward" that aims to enhance and extend existing networks. In August, Rhodes also announced that Madison will join the Race to Zero campaign with over 130 other cities in a blog post on the City of Madison's website.

"By joining the Cities Race to Zero, I pledged that Madison will do its part to build a healthy, resilient, zero-carbon transition that lessens future climate threats, creates good jobs and benefits everyone in our communities," she said.

The Race to Zero is a global initiative led by the COP26 Presidency and High-Level Climate Champions that seeks to mobilize leadership and support from companies, cities and investors in order to combat the negative effects of climate change.

According to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's study, global warming would likely reach about 1.5 degrees Celsius over the next two decades, even if emissions were substantially reduced immediately.

Dane County currently generates around 45% of its energy from renewable sources, but officials believe they are on course to reach 100% by 2024.