City staff on Monday outlined a 2025 update to Columbus' Climate Action Plan that keeps the city's goals of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions 45% by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 while sharpening implementation priorities such as residential and commercial energy efficiency and urban tree canopy expansion.

"Since 2020, the city of Columbus has been pursuing climate goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030, and being carbon carbon neutral by 2050," Brooke White, climate planning programmer with Sustainable Columbus, told the Public Utilities and Sustainability Committee. White described an update process that included meetings with lead and supporting agencies, a climate commitments working group, and public engagement that will feed a final plan expected in February 2026.

The presentation listed three near-term areas of emphasis: residential energy efficiency, commercial energy efficiency, and protecting and expanding the urban tree canopy. White highlighted pilot projects already in motion, including a low- to moderate-income solar pilot slated for arrays on 17 households and efforts to connect workforce development to green-job pipelines.

Public testimony underscored concerns that the plan's goals outpace current implementation capacity. Shelley Douglas, executive director of Green Columbus and chair of the Central Ohio Watershed Council, said Rec & Parks is reporting funding reductions and limited planting capacity and urged the council to invest broadly.

"In order to reach this 40% goal by 2050, we need to double the amount of trees we have in Columbus," Douglas said, asking city leaders to prioritize funding for street trees and plantings at schools, libraries and recreation centers.

Council members asked whether specific budget line items exist to support the Urban Forestry Master Plan; White said tree funding primarily sits with Recreation and Parks and that the update does not itself contain a finalized budget. Chair Weich and Council President Harden said the committee will continue budget discussions during operating-budget deliberations.

The plan update documents and public comments will be posted on the council's web page. The administration said it expects to finalize the draft by February 2026.

Ending note: The committee received the update and public testimony; the climate action plan update will proceed through the city's budget and adoption process prior to a final February 2026 posting.