Dane County Climate Action Plan

A Climate Action Plan (CAP) provides a science-based strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address ways the climate is already changing. 

In 2020 Dane County published our own Climate Action Plan: Today's Opportunity for a Better Tomorrow: 2020 Dane County Climate Action Plan. The CAP lays out programs, policies, and projects that will help the County effectively meet its climate goals. The resulting CAP is our roadmap to determine how to best to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. 

Our CAP is a path toward sustainability, not just for county government but also the business community, homeowners, and other local governments. This CAP will be updated periodically to reflect changes and incorporate lessons learned.

Addressing climate change is an important opportunity to rethink how we live and work. In addition to reducing emissions, our Climate Action Plan aims to:

• Increase the County’s commitment to equity and justice
• Deliver economic benefits to all parties
• Improve health and wellness of all residents
• Increase our ability to adapt and be resilient to a changing climate
• Bridge the rural and urban divide, creating solutions that work for everyone in the county
• Enhance our natural environments, delivering ecosystem benefits

These are ambitious goals but we are confident we can achieve these objectives working together across all of Dane County.

                                                                              Dane County Council On Climate Change

This CAP could not have been created without the input of the Dane County Council on Climate Change, which worked closely with the Office of Energy and Climate Change on its creation. The Council was made up of business leaders, representatives of the University of Wisconsin Nelson Institute, local utilities, equity and environmental advocates, as well as local government officials from across the county.