Sunnyvale Climate Action Scoreboard

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Created by and for the Community

Welcome to Sunnyvale's Climate Action Scoreboard.* It tracks our team’s performance toward a sustainable and resilient Sunnyvale. 

This site has two main areas – the Scoreboard (you’re here!) and the Playbook pages (linked top right). The Playbook is our roadmap to reduce carbon emissions by 2045. It has the strategies and plays we're using to make progress toward our targets. We're playing against our greatest opponent - greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Whether you’re a rookie or a climate action pro, this is your go-to spot to help us all stay in the game. 

*The Scoreboard is updated annually. The last update was September 2026. 

Current Score

All great sports teams use playbooks to dominate on the field. Sunnyvale’s Climate Action Playbook is our version. It has our winning strategies for taking on greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions. Here’s an overview: 

Our Targets

  • Cut emissions to 56% below 1990 levels by 2030 – way ahead of the state’s 40% goal. 
  • Cut emissions to 85% below 1990 levels by 2045 – this is the big win: carbon neutrality. 

Our Playbook 

  • Six Strategies: Sunnyvale’s overarching approach for bold climate action. 
  • 19 Plays: Targeted and measurable areas within the Strategies that aim to tackle our opponent: GHGs. 
  • 66 “Next Moves” in Game Plan 2028: Immediate actions we’re using between now and 2028. 

Want to scout the full Playbook? Read the full Climate Action Playbook and visit the City of Sunnyvale Sustainability webpage.

The Scoreboard was last updated in September 2026. 

Please note: the City updates the Scoreboard regularly as emissions data becomes available.



Playing by the Rules – Aligning with State Goals

We’re not just playing for Sunnyvale – we’re aligned with California’s top-tier climate goals and policies: 

The California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) – The Kickoff 

California’s first major climate rulebook that requires cutting emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and 40% below by 2030. Sunnyvale used 2008 data to set our 1990 baseline, and we’ve already reduced emissions 12% from 1990 levels, as of 2024. 

California Climate Crisis Act (AB 1279) – The Championship Game 

This law calls for carbon neutrality by 2045, with emissions reduced at least 85%. As of 2024, Sunnyvale has matched our carbon neutrality target with AB 1279. 

Game Plan 2028 Legend: Scoring on GHG Reductions

This Legend helps you understand how our Climate Action Playbook cuts emissions. Game Plan 2028 is where Sunnyvale outlines its “Next Moves” between now and the end of the 2028 season. These are the near-term steps to cut GHGs and hit our 2030 targets. 

Like any great team, we’ll update our Moves every five years to stay aligned with department plans and community needs. As we developed these Moves, we rated for their carbon reduction potential. We also considered other community goals each would help us achieve. In the "At-a-Glance" table below, the series of icons show co-benefits that showcase those other goals. Colored icons state when the Move will support the respective co-benefit. This legend explains each of the co-benefit icons and shows progress toward Move completion.   

Co-Benefits

co-benefit for GHG Reduction
GHG Reduction Potential illustrates the relative carbon savings potential of a Move on a scale of 1 to 4, where 1 cloud indicates minimum potential (e.g., informational or educational action that supports other Moves) up to 4 clouds which indicates maximum potential (e.g., affecting emissions of an entire sector).

icon for Local Environmental Quality
Local Environmental Quality indicates Moves that improve air quality, water quality, and/or open space amenities.

icon for Health and Livability
Health and Livability indicates Moves that improve physical, mental and emotional health or wellbeing and quality of life for residents, employees, and visitors.

icon for Community Savings
Community Savings Moves provide long-term savings for residents, businesses, or the City.

icon for partnership
Partnership Moves will require assistance from and coordination with partner organizations or agencies, such as SVCE and Valley Water.

Progress

checkmark icon for "complete or ongoing"
Green Checkmark - "Complete or Ongoing" - a major milestone has been achieved (e.g., base level of outreach, monitoring, or implementation needed).

ellipses icon for "in progress"
Three Blue Dots - "In Progress" - work on this Move has started (i.e., on track and implemented as originally planned).

clockface icon for "Delayed"
Purple Clock  - "Delayed" (i.e., scheduled for the current year but delayed).

empty circle icon for "Not Yet Scheduled"
Grey Circle  - "Not Yet Scheduled" (i.e., scheduled for implementation in later years).

pause button icon for "On Hold"
Yellow Pause - "On Hold" (i.e., due to the pandemic or awaiting action by players outside the City).

Game Plan 2028 At-A-Glance

The following table provides an at-a-glance view of the status of each of our Moves. Expand each Strategy and Play to find each of the Moves, their progress status, and their co-benefits.  

FY 25/26 Moves Status Summary:  

Graphic summarizing the status of Sunnyvale Moves: 42% are complete or ongoing, 40% are in progress, 8% are delayed, and 10% are on hold, each represented by a colored status icon.

Biggest Drivers

As activity continues to pick up following the pandemic, people are returning to the roads, their offices and their classrooms. As a result, Sunnyvale saw a 10% uptick in total community emissions between 2024 and 2023. It's a bit like a rival team regaining momentum late in the game. This 10% increase between years on the scoreboard came from three key sectors: 

Biggest Drivers

Electricity: The (Temporary) Emissions Leader in 2024

In 2024, our electricity sector took a major hit on the field. Overall emissions in electricity jumped by 161% compared to 2023. This made up over half of the emissions increase we saw in 2024. Usually, Natural Gas is our steady second-place runner-up behind transportation, but this year was a total pivot.  

This unexpected spike happened because of tough competition in the clean energy market. There were also delays in getting several new renewable energy facilities up and running for SVCE. These hurdles forced both PG&E and SVCE to use a less clean mix of energy. Luckily, this is just a temporary setback. It shows exactly why we need to keep our energy grid clean so we can score those long-term wins. 

Biggest Drivers

Transportation: The Heavy Hitter

Transportation temporarily lost its top spot in emissions on the scoreboard in 2024. When looking at the biggest drivers of our 2024 emissions increase, electricity may have taken home the MVP title for the largest spike. But make no mistake, transportation is still our biggest emissions heavy hitter overall on the scoreboard. 

This year, our transportation stats showed a 5% jump since 2023, pushing us past pre-pandemic levels. However, this wasn't because everyone suddenly started driving way more. Instead, it was due to a change in reporting by CARB, who updated their model to change how vehicle efficiency is reported. 

Since CARB uses big, statewide assumptions, their data has some major blind spots. It completely misses the great local wins happening right here on Sunnyvale's home field. Like our EV adoption hitting an all-time high and the launch of our new Peery Park Rides shuttle service. Because the state's data doesn't reflect our true local hustle, staff are drawing up a new plan to report transportation emissions. Moving forward, we want to highlight our real community wins rather than relying so heavily on statewide data. 

Biggest Drivers

Off-Road: The Newest Call-Up to the Big Leagues

The off-road sector made some big moves this year with emissions going up 8% in 2024 compared to 2023.

Just like our transportation stats, this increase was heavily influenced by a data update from CARB. They reported many more off-road vehicle categories and updated their model to reflect vehicle fuel efficiency based off those vehicle types. Even though the numbers went up, this improved report gives us a much clearer view of the field we're playing on, and the types of off-road vehicles being used. Now that we have better data, we can plan smarter ways to tackle off-road emissions. Which is exactly the strategy Play 3.4 is designed to run in Game Plan 2028.