The City of Dallas' Department of Aviation is proud to announce that it is carbon neutral and has achieved Level 4 - Transformation in the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) Program for operations at Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL). DAL is now one of only five airports in the U.S. and one of two airports in Texas certified at Level 4 or higher in the ACA Program. These achievements represent DAL's ability to effectively measure, manage, and reduce its carbon footprint as part of its focus on building a sustainable airport system within a thriving community.
For well over a decade, DAL has made significant strides in reducing emissions by, but not limited to:
- Implementing numerous energy conservation measures
- Designing new buildings to high sustainability standards, including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Parksmart
- Establishing electric vehicle infrastructure and replacing vehicles and equipment with efficient versions
As a key component of the carbon management strategy, the City of Dallas also negotiated a contract to purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) each year that attribute wind power to cover all electricity, thereby sourcing green, renewable electricity. These actions resulted in an 85% reduction in the annual carbon footprint since 2015. To achieve Carbon Neutrality, DAL invested in high-quality carbon credits to offset residual emissions from 2020 through 2022 and has established the process to continue to do so.
Progressive participation since 2017 in the ACA Program, run by Airports Council International, has helped to ensure that DAL’s carbon management approach is accurate, verifiable, and comprehensive by following a prescriptive approach required for participants. While Levels 1 and 2 focused on foundational aspects of quantifying carbon emissions of airport operations, Level 3 included expanding the focus to business partners (e.g., airlines, fixed-based operators, etc.), and Level 4 required establishing long-term plans for aligning with the Paris Agreement while partnering with business partners on emission reduction initiatives.
Looking to the future, DAL has charted a plan for achieving net zero carbon by 2040, nearly a decade ahead of its peers, and is not stopping there. Presently, the airport is establishing a comprehensive Sustainability Master Plan for addressing goals to improve performance in other focus areas, such as water conservation and waste diversion, in alignment with a Terminal Area Master Plan to inform planning and development for a sustainable airport system well into the future.
