Baltimore's first Climate Action Plan (CAP) was written in 2012. Ten years later, we are started the community engagement process to create a new CAP that addresses climate inequities in our city while setting new greenhouse gas emissions goals and strategies.
Our updated Climate Action Plan focuses on integrating equity and resilience lenses. This update strengthens the planning and policy connections between climate, flooding, adaptation, and resiliency in Baltimore and evaluate new and ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets. Following deep community input process that educated and elevated the visions of traditionally underrepresented residents of Baltimore City so the new Plan can be as relevant, actionable, and inclusive as possible, the draft plan will be released for public comment in October 2023. Visit the update page here.
What is a Climate Action Plan?
Climate Action Plans set goals to reduce cities' greenhouse gas emissions, and outline strategies to reach those goals. Reducing emissions mitigates or slows climate change, lessening its negative impacts. Climate Action Plans also include strategies for the City to adapt to the effects of climate change, such as extreme weather (heat and cold), flooding, decreased air quality, and many more.
Our Climate Action Plan update has a particular focus on addressing climate inequities, as many neighborhoods and communities in Baltimore are disproportionately affected by climate change due to decades of systemic racism. Climate inequities appear in many ways, from lack of tree cover and hotter average temperatures in lower-income neighborhoods to differences in the quality of infrastructures like sewer systems that may be affected by flooding, or a neighborhood's environmental health due to proximity to dangerous pollutants from industrial sites.
Engagement Strategy
Previously, we engaged with thousands of people to hear their ideas and priorities through workshops and surveys. The data help the Office of Sustainability draft a plan that benefits all Baltimore residents. Workshop participants were compensated for their time at a rate of $25/hr.
You can visit the City of Baltimore Climate Action Plan Update website for more information on the update in addition to an array of resources.
Our Advisory Council
The Climate Action Plan Advisory Council is made up of 16 residents, 3 of whom are Sustainability Commissioners. The Advisory Council's interests in the Climate Action Plan stem from their backgrounds in community beekeeping and urban farming, youth and community organizing, accessible design, and crime prevention. The Advisory Council will provide feedback on the engagement process and plan development, ensuring that we are meeting our equity goals.
