New regional greenhouse gas report suggests there is work to be done

Despite local efforts to address climate goals, greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase in the Pitkin County region.

Total emissions increased by 22% between 2019 and 2023, according to data collected and analyzed by Pitkin County, the City of Aspen, the Town of Snowmass Village, and the Town of Basalt. 

They attribute the change to the increased valley-wide economic growth since 2019, higher quality vehicle emissions, and methane emissions from the abandoned Coal Basin mine near Redstone. 

The report found that cleaner electricity sources have resulted in a 2% decrease in building emissions, despite an increase in energy consumption. The change resulted from efforts to shift utility energy sources to renewable.

Conversely, transportation emissions, Coal Basin passive gas leakage, and solid waste emissions all contributed to increasing emissions between 2019 and 2023. 

The region saw an increase in transportation sector emissions as well as solid waste emission — despite the success of community waste diversion programs — over the five-year period, according to the report. Additionally, the report found that the Coal Basin mine methane emissions constitute 9% of total regional emissions. The Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE) are working on reducing the emissions from the mine, according to a Pitkin County press release.

More information can be found in the Pitkin County Region Comprehensive Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report 2023 at aspencore.org/emissions-inventory.