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How Berkeley Tracks Climate Action Progress

An AC Transit bus in Berkeley, CA. Photo credit: lensovet via Wikimedia Commons

Local government staff: If a city councilor or community member wanted a detailed progress report on your climate action plan implementation, could you deliver it?

Tracking and reporting performance is a key to successful climate action. Take a cue from City of Berkeley, CA, which now provides annual updates via its website for each core strategy of its Climate Action Plan. Berkeley’s website makes clear the benefits of this effort for any local government. You don’t need legions of staff or fancy software to track and report progress, only a smart effort, (especially at the outset), staff commitment, and some well-organized spreadsheets.

“As sustainability professionals, I don’t think we do a good enough job of communicating what we’re accomplishing,” says Timothy Burroughs, City of Berkeley’s Climate Action Coordinator in the Office of Energy and Sustainable Development. ““We have a lot more work to do, but we’re also doing a ton of great work and we have data that can communicate that story.”