An inaugural Boston Climate Progress Report shows the city faces multiple obstacles and is not on track to meet its goals. The research, conducted by researchers at Northeastern University’s Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy for the Boston Foundation, shows that the city is off track to cut carbon emissions by 50% before 2030 and be carbon-neutral by 2050. “With the policies that are in place now, we cannot reach those goals,” said Joan Fitzgerald, professor of urban and public policy at Northeastern University. “What we focused on is, what it would take to get us back on track.” The report commented on the city’s progress on broader policies and how some systematic obstacles are present in meeting set climate goals.“City climate policies, such as the Building Energy Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO), also show potential but barring more systemic changes, the city has no clear path to meet its interim 2030 goal or its 2050 net zero target,” the foundation wrote in a summary. The report also showed that although the policy is showing some potential, an “immediate pivot” is needed with the federal and state legislation.The new climate progress report also lists 12 key outcomes that are needed to achieve net-zero emission and Boston’s progress towards that goal. The report found that a few of the outcomes are critically behind. For example, a push for low-carbon electricity is facing “permitting delays” in the wind growth and transmission capacity expansion.“The growth of renewable energy in the Northeast region is dependent on the ability of many localities to scale and site solar and wind — recent examples of local opposition highlight the challenge of conflicting interests that push back against renewable deployment,” the report said. The inaugural report called for action by the state and regional authorities on both wind growth and transmission capacity expansion. The progress report also said the pace of building electrification across Boston is “too slow.”The city is not producing enough housing or improving transit systems to meet goals for providing equitable housing and mobility, according to the climate report. “Community opposition has made it difficult to build housing outside the core despite many of these communities having access to the commuter rail system,” the report reads. “This failure to provide housing for people in places they want to live is a primary driver of inflated housing costs and often pushes people further away from walkable, bike-able, or transit-accessible areas.”However, Boston is showing some measurable progress on the 12 proposed outcomes, such as phasing out non-zero emission vehicles or planning for robust and resilient urban forests. “How Boston performs on these twelve outcomes tells us a great deal about how Boston is doing in moving toward its broader goals,” said co-author Michael Walsh. “This report sets the framework for evaluating our collective efforts, which will require commitment from the city of Boston, critical partnerships with state and regional governments, and investments from the private sector.”The climate progress report proposed four critical areas of improvement to get back on track to reach the proposed goals, including retrofitting the small building stock, planning local energy for an electrified city, building a resilient coastline through improved governance and prioritizing planning for Boston’s frontline neighborhoods. The Boston climate report is to be updated every two years. The full report can be found here.