The city of Lakewood is one of over 100 cities throughout the world given an A grade by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) — the second straight year the city has earned the grade.

The CDP — a nonprofit organization that the world’s only independent environmental disclosure system — released its list of 112 cities and counties throughout the world that have earned the title in 2024, marking Lakewood’s second straight year on the list and fourth time overall.

To be placed on the A list, a city must publicly disclose its climate-based efforts through the nonprofit’s climate reporting platform, CDP-ICLEI Track, and meet certain criteria including having a citywide emissions inventory, a climate risk and vulnerability assessment and a published climate action plan.

“Lakewood is one of a select group of cities internationally that have been recognized for its work on sustainability, climate change, resiliency and environmental transparency, demonstrating that local leadership drives climate innovation, infrastructure investment and economic opportunity,” the city said in a Tuesday news release.

Some of this work includes the city’s Sustainable Development Standards implemented in 2019 and revised in 2022.

These standards built upon existing building codes to make sure new developments adopt the city’s sustainability goals — like reducing greenhouse gas emissions and eliminating waste.

Another example is the design and construction of a solar instillation at Whitlock Recreation Center. The solar project will “offset 100% of the center’s expected electricity use,” according to the city.

Jefferson County, as a whole, reduced its greenhouse gas emissions in 2023, continuing a downward trend for the county over the past nine years.

The Jefferson County Sustainability Program released the county’s greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory data in April. It has been collecting data for the entire county in 2023 through annual reports from Xcel Energy and the Denver Regional Council of Governments as well as The Colorado Department of Public Health’s (CDPHE) EnviroScreen Score.

In 2023, the county saw a production of 6,096,805 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), according to the county’s updated dashboard. 

That number was 6,221,268 in 2022 and 6,335,095 in 2021, showing a steady downward trend every year since 2015 — the year the county started compiling the data as part of its Climate Action Plan.

“I am extremely proud that Lakewood is among this prestigious list for the second consecutive year,” Lakewood Mayor Wendi Strom said in the release. “It highlights the depth of our commitment to ensuring that sustainability plays a central role in Lakewood’s ongoing story.”

The CDP’s A list included 92 regions and cities in the United States, with Aspen, Boulder, Denver, Fort Collins and Lakewood representing Colorado.

“Colorado is a national leader in climate action, and our data plays an important role. Data helps Colorado to make the right decisions to help save people money and maximize environmental, economic and health benefits in our communities,” Gov. Jared Polis said of the work with CDP.