Carbon Emissions Last updated or reviewed on October 7, 2025 Carbon emissions from City operations have fluctuated over the last decade and are on track to meet our 2% annual reduction goal, but fall short of the more ambitious 4% annual reduction goal. Employee commuting, electricity consumption, and fleet fuel usage are the largest contributors, and additional interventions are required to meet the 4% reduction goal. Check out this chart to see a breakdown of emissions by source. Desired trend: Emissions reductions in line with the 4% reduction goal. Methodology: The City conducts annual data collection and analysis of fleet and transit fuel usage from City operations, building electricity consumption (from Duke Energy), renewable energy generation, and natural gas usage (from Dominion Energy). A commuter survey is completed every two years to estimate City employee commute emissions. Net emissions are calculated by subtracting excess renewable energy sent to the grid, purchased renewable energy credits, and carbon offsets from total emissions. All data sources are converted to metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2e).
