About the Climate Action Plan
With input from residents, community organizations, businesses, and government agencies, Allegheny County’s Department of Sustainability is developing the county’s first Climate Action Plan (CAP). The CAP will be a regional vision to improve quality of life while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and ensuring that public dollars support efficient, sustainable county operations.
Share Your Vision for the Future of Allegheny County
Explore how climate action will benefit Allegheny County community members.
Recent Updates
From April 2025 to July 2026, the CAP team has:
- Engaged with over 4,000 people and hundreds of organizations, public agencies, and businesses,
- Collected data at 45 events, including 5 county-hosted public meetings and 40 community-based events across Allegheny County.
- Hosted 4 Resident Leader Conversations, held at the Racial Justice Summit in the Northside as well as in the Hill District, Clairton, and virtually.
- Developed community-informed regional vision, goals, and foundational values
- Completed community-wide and county operations greenhouse gas inventories
- Drafted actions and strategies across seven key focus areas to reduce GHG emissions and improve quality of life across the county
- See the CAP Phase I and Phase II development summaries for more information
Phase III
In Phase III, efforts are focused on understanding priority community benefits associated with climate action, county-wide coordination with partners, raising awareness of the CAP, and refining draft strategies and actions that will lead Allegheny County to a healthier, brighter, cleaner, and more affordable future.
Throughout summer 2026, the Sustainability team will be asking community members to help prioritize what actions and strategies will be most beneficial. Learn more about how climate action could benefit Allegheny County community members.
The success of the CAP is reliant on the feedback of as many Allegheny County residents, businesses, and organizations as possible.
The Sustainability Team hosted 2 meetings in June 2026 to discuss the progress of the Climate Action Plan and collect feedback. The recordings (English | Spanish) and public meeting presentation are available for review. The Sustainability Team also hosted 15 community-based data collection events across Allegheny County.
Sectors and Strategies
The Climate Action Plan is comprised of seven focus areas with key strategies in each section to address realistic change throughout Allegheny County.
| Focus Area | Purpose | Strategies |
|---|
| Buildings and Built Infrastructure | Thoughtful design and maintenance of buildings to reduce utility costs while increasing safety and comfort | - Ensure new buildings are highly efficient, low-carbon, resilient, and net-zero ready
- Retrofit housing and commercial buildings for energy efficiency, resilience, and decarbonization
- Adapt buildings to climate change
- Decarbonize district energy systems
|
| Electricity Grid | Equitable distribution of clean, reliable energy to protect people while reducing costs and pollution | - Transition to carbon-free electricity generation
- increase resiliency of grid electrical systems
- Deploy solar
- Deploy battery, microgrid, and other DER systems
- Build data centers sustainably
|
| Industry and Fuels | Transition to a cleaner industrial and manufacturing future to reduce pollution and ensure the region remains economically competitive | - Decarbonize existing industrial processes
- Deploy carbon-free hydrogen and biomethane
- Accelerate replacement of gas pipelines
- Support clean tech, circular economy, and green manufacturing
- Reduce emissions from operating abandoned or orphaned wells
|
| Transportation | Safe and accessible transportation to connect users to essential resources and opportunities | - Increase walkability, bikeability, and micromobility
- Pursue placemaking and efficient land use
- Increase public transit use
- Manage congestion
- Electrify light-duty vehicles
- Decarbonize medium- and heavy-duty vehicles
|
| Waste and Resource Use | Improve recycling, reuse, and disposal opportunities to benefit people and the environment | - Reduce waste
- Improve management of waste
- Implement composting programs
|
| Natural Systems | Green spaces, trees, and undeveloped areas can support clean air, provide shade, reduce temperatures, and provide wildlife habitats | - Nature-based solutions
- Integrate people, community, and environment
- Manage land and forests for natural sequestration
|
| Food and Water | Sustainable, local food systems and clean water to support thriving communities, economies, and people | - Support agriculture across urban, suburban, and rural landscapes
- Implement sustainable agricultural practices
- Reduce flooding and improve water quality
- Decarbonize water and sewer services
- Champion food justice and increase food access within Allegheny County
|
About the Climate Action Plan
With input from residents, community organizations, businesses, and government agencies, Allegheny County’s Department of Sustainability is developing the county’s first Climate Action Plan (CAP). The CAP will be a regional vision to improve quality of life while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and ensuring that public dollars support efficient, sustainable county operations.
Share Your Vision for the Future of Allegheny County
Explore how climate action will benefit Allegheny County community members.
Recent Updates
From April 2025 to July 2026, the CAP team has:
- Engaged with over 4,000 people and hundreds of organizations, public agencies, and businesses,
- Collected data at 45 events, including 5 county-hosted public meetings and 40 community-based events across Allegheny County.
- Hosted 4 Resident Leader Conversations, held at the Racial Justice Summit in the Northside as well as in the Hill District, Clairton, and virtually.
- Developed community-informed regional vision, goals, and foundational values
- Completed community-wide and county operations greenhouse gas inventories
- Drafted actions and strategies across seven key focus areas to reduce GHG emissions and improve quality of life across the county
- See the CAP Phase I and Phase II development summaries for more information
Phase III
In Phase III, efforts are focused on understanding priority community benefits associated with climate action, county-wide coordination with partners, raising awareness of the CAP, and refining draft strategies and actions that will lead Allegheny County to a healthier, brighter, cleaner, and more affordable future.
Throughout summer 2026, the Sustainability team will be asking community members to help prioritize what actions and strategies will be most beneficial. Learn more about how climate action could benefit Allegheny County community members.
The success of the CAP is reliant on the feedback of as many Allegheny County residents, businesses, and organizations as possible.
The Sustainability Team hosted 2 meetings in June 2026 to discuss the progress of the Climate Action Plan and collect feedback. The recordings (English | Spanish) and public meeting presentation are available for review. The Sustainability Team also hosted 15 community-based data collection events across Allegheny County.
Sectors and Strategies
The Climate Action Plan is comprised of seven focus areas with key strategies in each section to address realistic change throughout Allegheny County.
| Focus Area | Purpose | Strategies |
|---|
| Buildings and Built Infrastructure | Thoughtful design and maintenance of buildings to reduce utility costs while increasing safety and comfort | - Ensure new buildings are highly efficient, low-carbon, resilient, and net-zero ready
- Retrofit housing and commercial buildings for energy efficiency, resilience, and decarbonization
- Adapt buildings to climate change
- Decarbonize district energy systems
|
| Electricity Grid | Equitable distribution of clean, reliable energy to protect people while reducing costs and pollution | - Transition to carbon-free electricity generation
- increase resiliency of grid electrical systems
- Deploy solar
- Deploy battery, microgrid, and other DER systems
- Build data centers sustainably
|
| Industry and Fuels | Transition to a cleaner industrial and manufacturing future to reduce pollution and ensure the region remains economically competitive | - Decarbonize existing industrial processes
- Deploy carbon-free hydrogen and biomethane
- Accelerate replacement of gas pipelines
- Support clean tech, circular economy, and green manufacturing
- Reduce emissions from operating abandoned or orphaned wells
|
| Transportation | Safe and accessible transportation to connect users to essential resources and opportunities | - Increase walkability, bikeability, and micromobility
- Pursue placemaking and efficient land use
- Increase public transit use
- Manage congestion
- Electrify light-duty vehicles
- Decarbonize medium- and heavy-duty vehicles
|
| Waste and Resource Use | Improve recycling, reuse, and disposal opportunities to benefit people and the environment | - Reduce waste
- Improve management of waste
- Implement composting programs
|
| Natural Systems | Green spaces, trees, and undeveloped areas can support clean air, provide shade, reduce temperatures, and provide wildlife habitats | - Nature-based solutions
- Integrate people, community, and environment
- Manage land and forests for natural sequestration
|
| Food and Water | Sustainable, local food systems and clean water to support thriving communities, economies, and people | - Support agriculture across urban, suburban, and rural landscapes
- Implement sustainable agricultural practices
- Reduce flooding and improve water quality
- Decarbonize water and sewer services
- Champion food justice and increase food access within Allegheny County
|
