Climate Action Planning: A Practical Pathway for Decarbonization in the Built Environment

A beautiful grassy field with windmills in the distance under a blue sky. *photo provided by freepik

Written By: Allie Frost, Catalyst Partners

Buildings are at the heart of the climate challenge. They are responsible for nearly 39% of total global greenhouse gas emissions on the planet. So as cities, tribes, school districts, higher education institutions, corporate offices, and other mission-driven organizations set increasingly ambitious climate goals, one question keeps coming up: “How can we reduce the carbon emissions associated with the spaces we occupy?” For many, the answer begins with a climate action plan.

A climate action plan is a structured roadmap for understanding and reducing greenhouse gas emissions across anything from one property to an entire portfolio of them. The process begins with baselining: that is, calculating the carbon emissions that are already associated with the properties in question. This baseline is created by collecting data on anything related to the property that emits greenhouse gases. These greenhouse gases can come from sources such as on-site natural gas use, purchased electricity, refrigerant leakage from cooling equipment, gasoline burned in fleet vehicles, and even fuel burned by employees commuting to the site or emissions associated with waste disposal. Many plans also account for carbon sinks such as tree coverage on the land or renewable energy fed back into the grid. These carbon sinks can help to offset total emissions in the baseline.

Once that baseline is established, the plan looks ahead. A climate action plan typically explores several future scenarios: one where no changes are made (a business-as-usual trajectory), and one or more where specific strategies are implemented to reduce emissions over time. This comparison allows decision-makers to understand what changes can be made and at what costs, identify high-impact strategies to focus on, and set realistic goals for carbon reduction.

The most impactful climate action plans go beyond simply listing generic improvements to be made to a building or portfolio of buildings. The best plans provide tailored strategies based on building age, use type, fuel source, and local utility emissions. For example, a plan might recommend replacing a natural gas boiler with an electric heat pump at the end of the boiler’s life rather than immediately (and give the timeline for doing so that is most cost and carbon efficient). This is because installing new equipment may decrease carbon emissions during the life of this equipment, but there are a lot of greenhouse gas emissions that go into the manufacture and delivery of the new equipment as well. Another suggestion in a carbon action plan could be adding rooftop solar to offset annual electricity consumption, but instead of sizing the solar as large as possible (which can add unnecessary cost and embodied carbon), it can be sized specifically to offset what energy will still be needed after other measures are implemented on site. Part of the climate action plan could even include waiting to electrify equipment until grid improvements are made in areas where grid emissions are currently more carbon-intensive than those from on-site natural gas.

Climate action planning can also help clarify timelines. Some organizations opt to align implementation with planned capital improvement cycles, while others pursue faster action to meet internal climate targets. Either way, having a plan allows for strategic phasing and the ability to make progress year by year, rather than relying on ad hoc upgrades made at the last minute to meet a deadline. Planning ahead for decarbonization is important for maximizing carbon reductions at the least cost and can ensure that those costs are budgeted for ahead of time.

Climate action plans provide a clear framework for meeting regulatory or certification expectations as well. Strategies like electrification, low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants, on-site renewables, and emissions modeling are not only central to carbon planning, they’re now key to achieving certifications such as LEED v5. By aligning project goals with a structured carbon reduction roadmap, teams are better equipped to earn points, track progress, and demonstrate meaningful climate leadership.

But beyond points and compliance, climate action plans offer broader benefits. Electrification and efficiency upgrades are typical greenhouse gas reduction measures that can lower operating costs of a building. Battery storage and renewable energy can increase resilience in the face of grid disruptions. Health benefits often follow when removing combustion-based systems from a site, resulting in improved air quality on the property. For many public-serving institutions, carbon reduction strategies also resonate with community values and allow these institutions to care for their local community, not just the global environment.

There is also a transparency element to climate action planning that is becoming harder to ignore. Stakeholders, funders, and the public are increasingly asking for data. They want proof that organizations are not only committing to sustainability, but acting on it. A climate action plan provides that evidence in a clear, measurable, and actionable format, backed by data and grounded in reality. While the process of creating a plan requires coordination, data collection, and technical expertise, the result is something immensely useful: a map of what emissions look like now, what they could look like in the future, and the practical steps needed to get from one to the other. The measures in a good climate action plan are easy for stakeholders to track and can prove that an organization is doing what they should be to meet their environmental goals.

As pressure grows to address climate change at every level—from local policies to global frameworks—climate action planning is becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity. For any organization managing facilities or real estate, it offers a practical, tailored, and forward-looking way to take responsibility for their carbon footprint. When paired with smart implementation and ongoing monitoring, a climate action plan becomes a tool for transformation, offering a way to build smarter, operate cleaner, and contribute meaningfully to a lower-carbon future.

Not sure where to start? Our team of experts is ready to help.