The City Council approved a plan Tuesday for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the city and making planet-conscious choices in land use, transportation and waste reduction.

The Climate Action Plan is designed to satisfy the requirements of AB 32, which the California Legislature adopted in 2008, calling for local governments to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions to at least 15 percent below then-current levels by the year 2020.

According to the plan summary, in 2005 Sacramento emitted more than 4.1 million metric tons of greenhouse gases – an amount equal to the emissions produced by driving around the earth almost 412,000 times.

The single largest source of emissions came from gasoline and diesel consumption by on-road vehicles, accounting for just over 48 percent of the city’s total emissions, the report stated.

Electricity and natural gas used for operating, heating and cooling commercial and industrial buildings and residential homes emitted another 42 percent.

Some of the strategies outlined in the plan include discouraging development sprawl and dependence on cars, promoting water conservation and recycling, promoting pedestrian-friendly and transit-oriented development, and promoting energy-efficient building design.

Eric Rasmusson, a lobbyist representing the Sacramento Association of Realtors, said the Climate Action Plan is essentially a “road map” for the city.

“This plan provides a pretty good foundation and platform from which we as a city should be able to make significant positive impacts,” Rasmusson said Wednesday.

The Climate Action Plan includes a combination of mandatory items – mostly related to building and construction in the city – and incentive-based items intended to encourage homeowners to make energy-efficient upgrades.

Long-Term Planning Manager Tom Pace said the plan takes into consideration the connection between initial investment and long-term or short-term benefits.

“(Investment in action plan activities) needs to be proportionate to the benefit, and it has to be cost-effective in terms of savings on energy and utility bills,” Pace said Wednesday.

Pace said costs to the city for implementing the Climate Action Plan haven’t been calculated, and there are many factors to making those determinations.

“We’ve been using existing staff resources and applying to the state for grants to pay for programs to carry out the Climate Action Plan,” Pace said.

The budget for studying and preparing the Climate Action Plan was $359,188, according to Pace. Those funds came from a federal grant program for energy efficiency and conservation-related work.

“I’m glad to see that we have community support,” City Councilman Steve Cohn said Tuesday.

“When this economy finally starts to turn, this plan will become front and center, and our community can focus more on what we need to do to address climate change,” Cohn said.

As the plan is rolled out, Pace said, the city will start streamlining the building permit process and encouraging residents to support reducing greenhouse gas emissions through their daily activities.

Larry Robinson, a representative from the Sacramento Air Quality Management District, told council members Tuesday that the Climate Action Plan will help in making the city more sustainable.

“The plan strikes a much-needed balance between a more sustainable Sacramento and recognizing the need for continued economic growth in our local economy,” Robinson said.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MeilssaCorker.