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To Get to Net Zero, This City Is Making a Map

Ithaca, New York, has committed to fully decarbonizing by 2030. To achieve that goal, the city is creating a “digital twin” that can model energy use, building by building. 

Ithaca’s Green New Deal commits the town to fully decarbonize its building stock by 2030 — a tall order. 

Ithaca’s Green New Deal commits the town to fully decarbonize its building stock by 2030 — a tall order. 

Photographer: Bruce Yuanyue Bi/The Image Bank RF
By
Mike De Socio

In 2019, lawmakers in Ithaca, New York, resolved to eliminate or offset all carbon emissions ​​by 2030, becoming the first city in the US to set such an ambitious global-warming benchmark.

Then it launched a $100 million plan to fund a massive municipal climate-proofing effort.