Evaluating Strategies and Scenarios for Carbon Neutrality for the City of Palo Alto

The City of Palo Alto has detailed in its Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (S/CAP)
its strategy to reach an 80% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, relative to 1990
levels. This comprehensive work is emblematic of the pioneering work that the City of Palo Alto
is doing to be a leader in progress towards a carbon neutral future. In 2018, California Governor
Jerry Brown signed Executive Order B-55-18 that sets a statewide target of reaching carbon
neutrality by 2045. For the Winter Quarter Public Policy Practicum Project, the City has asked
our team to evaluate the potential of Negative Emissions Technologies (NETs) and Palo Alto’s
Urban Forest as strategies to capture the remaining 20% of emissions, or 156,024 metric tons of
CO2 post 80x30, needed to reach carbon neutrality by the state’s target. Through the course of
our research, we identified best practices in other governments, conducted stakeholder
interviews, evaluated the state of the NET industry, and estimated the sequestration potential of
improvements made to the Urban Forest and other natural sequestration opportunities.