BUFFALO, N.Y. — A day after the U.S. pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz issued an executive order requiring county departments to adhere to standards set in that agreement anyway.

"We have an obligation as citizens not just of Erie County but of the world to do our part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save the only home we have, planet Earth," Poloncarz, D, said.

The departments were tasked with identifying their baseline greenhouse gas emissions in 2005 and plans to reduce them by 2025. The county executive said they were surprised to find by 2014, the last year with complete data, the departments had already reached the 26 percent reduction goal.

"I did not issue my executive order last year with the preconceived notion that county government had already met the Paris standards. I truthfully thought it would take years for us to meet it," he said.

According to the report, the primary reason was the county was purchasing less carbon-intensive electricity. In 2005, more than half of the government's electricity came from burning coal or oil. That number is now seven percent.

"While we are pleased to see that the county lead by example and take strong action to reduce its emissions, we must understand that almost all emissions in Erie County are from the community and not from government operations," Anne Bergantz, Environmental Management Council chair, said.

Poloncarz pointed out only half a percent of Erie County's greenhouse gas emissions come from government operations. The community as a whole has only reduced emissions by 12 percent since 2005.

"We are going to focus on incentivizing energy conservation and the use of renewables for businesses as well as private citizens," Poloncarz said.

The county government said it will continue to find ways to reduce its own emission too. That includes aiming for 100 percent of electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025 and making sure a minimum 20 percent of the fleet are electric vehicles.