Media Contacts: Jennifer Ciaccia: (216) 250-5863; jciaccia@cuyahogacounty.us

Cuyahoga County is among a new class of local governments to receive the top climate action score from environmental impact non-profit, CDP

CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OH – Cuyahoga County has been recognized as an A-List community by global non-profit CDP as one of 119 local governments across the globe taking bold leadership on environmental action and transparency.

CDP’s Cities A-List is designed to encourage and support communities to increase climate action. A-List ratings are based on environmental data disclosed by cities to CDP-ICLEI Track. To receive a top score, a local government must disclose publicly through CDP-ICLEI Track, have a region-wide emissions inventory, and have published a climate action plan. Governments must also complete a climate risk and vulnerability assessment and have a climate adaptation goal to demonstrate a plan to tackle climate hazards.

A-List cities are demonstrating their climate leadership through concerted and effective action, just as national governments will be asked to do at COP28. A clear momentum in city climate disclosure and action is building – over 900 cities and counties (939 in total) received a rating for their climate action from CDP in 2023. In 2023, just over one in ten local governments scored by CDP (13% of such cities) received an A.

A-List communities are taking four times as many mitigation and adaptation measures as non-A List cities.

A-List communities are also celebrated for showing that urgent and impactful climate is achievable at a global level, and in cities with different climate realities and priorities.

“I am inspired to see that Cuyahoga County has been recognized for the good work we are doing around Climate and Environmental sustainability, knowing that the world has a long way to go to fully address the climate crisis,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne. “We will continue to do our part to lower the greenhouse gas footprint and equitably address the climate related needs of the community.”

Cuyahoga County’s Department of Sustainability has focused its efforts on energy, land use, and transportation-based solutions to help address climate equity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To date, the County’s energy programs have installed 4MW of landfill solar, 300 residential solar arrays through our Solar Co-op, and almost 1.5 MW of solar on county buildings. In 2023, Cuyahoga County developed a new county utility, Cuyahoga Green Energy.

For the fourth year in a row, Cuyahoga County continued its Healthy Urban Tree Canopy grant program to preserve and expand the region’s tree canopy. The county has made significant progress in transportation and waste reduction strategies through its Micro-mobility Project, Sustainable Stores grant program, and Bring-Your-Own-Bags initiatives. In 2024, the Cuyahoga County Department of Sustainability plans to expand existing climate programs, update the Climate Action Plan, and continue to develop a basic Climate Change Education Program.

About CDP

CDP is a global non-profit that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions. Founded in 2000 and working with more than 740 financial institutions with over $136 trillion in assets, CDP pioneered using capital markets and corporate procurement to motivate companies to disclose their environmental impacts, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests.

Over 24,000 organizations around the world disclosed data through CDP in 2023 - including listed companies worth two thirds of global market capitalization - and over 1,100 cities, states and regions. CDP is a founding member of the Science Based Targets initiative, We Mean Business Coalition, The Investor Agenda and the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative. Visit cdp.net or follow us @CDP to find out more.

About Cuyahoga County

Cuyahoga County is the geographic and economic core of the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area and, with over 1.2 million residents, it is the second most-populous county in the State of Ohio. The County promotes regional growth, economic opportunity, individual well-being, regional collaboration, and superior services.

With the creation of its Department of Sustainability in 2015, Cuyahoga County has worked effectively to implement climate mitigation and climate adaptation strategies. In 2018, Cuyahoga County implemented a four-megawatt solar installation on a closed landfill in Brooklyn, Ohio – the first project of its kind in the State of Ohio. Since then, the County has installed solar on four of its own buildings, has enabled the installation of municipal solar arrays in two first ring suburbs, and has partnered with nonprofit solar advocacy organization Solar United Neighbors to administer a successful residential solar buying co-op. In 2021, Cuyahoga County created its own County utility authority, with a goal of developing resilient renewable energy microgrids throughout the region.

With the understanding that poor and underserved communities are most impacted by climate change, Cuyahoga County regularly works with community groups and vulnerable populations. In developing its Climate Action plan, the County created its Climate Vulnerability Map, which is used to make resource allocation decisions for programs such as the Healthy Urban Tree Canopy Program and the Plastic Bag Reduction Grant Program.