ITHACA

Ithaca is a city in Tompkins County situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York. As of 2020, its population was 32,108. The natural vegetation of the Ithaca area is northern temperate broadleaf forest.  It is dominated by deciduous trees, including maple, sycamore, black walnut, birch, and oak; coniferous trees, including white pine, Norway spruce, and eastern hemlock. The city itself has a rich diversity of tree plantings, with over 190 species, including cherry, southern magnolia, and ginkgo. 

A college town, Ithaca is home to Cornell University, an Ivy League University and Ithaca College.

CLIMATE IMPACTS

The frequency of natural disasters in Ithaca is projected to rise, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The city and surrounding regions are expected to face significantly increased heat and precipitation.

• Increased flooding, especially in low-lying areas near bodies of water.
• Warmer winters. Fewer freezing days.
• Extreme Heat. More days with temperatures exceeding 90˚F.

The cumulative affects will take its toll on Ithaca’s apple and diary production.

CLIMATE GOALS AND LEGISLATION

In June 2019 the City of Ithaca Common Council unanimously adopted the City of Ithaca Green New Deal resolution. The Green New Deal aimed to reach community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030, to deliver100% renewable electricity for government operations by 2025, to reduce emissions from the city vehicle fleet by 50% by 2025, and also promised to address historical inequities, economic inequality and social justice. 

• For Ithaca, buildings were the first target for several reasons. Forty percent of its buildings were constructed before 1940 and buildings represent 40% of its carbon emissions profile. The city already receives 80% of its power supply from hydroelectric and nuclear power plants.
• Two years later, in 2021, Ithaca became the first city in the United States to begin to fully decarbonize its buildings in the first phase of its Green New Deal policies. 

HOW ARE THEY DOING?

A liberal college town in upstate New York, Ithaca pulled together widespread support for its ambitious plan to eliminate its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 — 20 years earlier than the target date Biden’s White House had set for the rest of the country. 

• They have made some steady progress towards their Green New Deal goals. 
• However, halfway through their10-year plan to address climate change, they have certainly experienced how difficult it is to move off fossil fuels.
• To meet their decarbonization goals, Ithaca aimed (and aims) to shift all of their buildings off natural gas. As of March 2024, only ten commercial buildings had taken out their gas pipes.
• According to Rebecca Evans, director of sustainability for the city of Ithaca, “If it can’t work here, it can’t work anywhere… It's a small city of really passionate people that care about sustainability. If we can’t get to zero, then I don’t know who can.”

SCORECARD

• The Climate Reality Project keeps an Ithaca Green New Deal Scorecard, ranking each of the city’s goals with five categories: not started, in progress, stalled, complete and ongoing.