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2030 Climate Action Plan

                                                   Climate Action Planning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tacoma City Council passed Resolution No. 40509  in December 2019, declaring a climate emergency in Tacoma and calling for a transformative climate action plan to reduce community greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to climate impacts we can no longer avoid. As we plan for our collective climate future, the City of Tacoma needs to hear continually from communities that are historically underrepresented, underserved, made vulnerable communities, or expected to experience the first or worst impacts of climate change. By centering frontline communities' priorities, Tacoma's new plan invests in both climate action and environmental justice.

 

Climate Work

The 2030 Tacoma Climate Action Plan (CAP) is Now Available

With this Plan, Tacoma will take action for healthy, affordable housing; clean, reliable transportation; protections for public health; and green, good-paying jobs. It is designed to direct City funding, investments, and work over the next nine years to improve our communities and environment.


See City leadership’s statement on the Plan: Letter from the Mayor and Letter from the City Manager & Tacoma Public Utilities Director.

 

The Plan:

 

CAP 2023 Progress Report

The City of Tacoma's 2023 Climate Action Plan Progress Report is now available. This comprehensive report provides an overview of the city's progress in implementing the actions and targets outlined in our 2030 Climate Action Plan. Highlighting success stories, departmental progress ratings, target metrics, and other climate-focused plans, this report underscores the importance of tracking our progress as the impacts of climate change increasingly affect our community. 

Past City Climate Action Efforts

 

CAP 2022 Progress Report

The CAP Progress Report is about transparency – sharing both successful progress and areas where we are falling behind. While 2022 is just the first year of three for near-term actions, and indicator targets are set for 2030, measuring how we start and what happens along the way is important. The 2022 Progress Report below shows what progress has been made towards targets, status updates, and success stories:

 

2016 Environmental Action Plan

The 2016 Environmental Action Plan (EAP) charts the course for taking action at both the City and community level to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet the climate goals laid out in the 2008 Climate Action Plan. The EAP is a list of meaningful, high-priority actions that the City of Tacoma and our community will take between 2016 and 2020 to meet the environmental goals outlined in the Tacoma 2025 Strategic Plan.

 

2008 Climate Action Plan

In 2008, Tacoma's Climate Action Plan (CAP) was adopted to establish carbon reduction goals and strategies for the City and community. The highest priority recommendations identified by the Task Force included creating an Office of Sustainability and the Sustainable Tacoma Commission. Both were enacted in spring of 2009.


What purpose will the plan serve?

The planning process was about centering frontline involvement, honoring their contributions, and getting to an equitable plan. Implementation of the Plan is how we actually deliver benefits to our community.

To best implement this Plan, we need to spend our time and resources on designing policies, programs, and projects with an equity lens and that address multiple community priorities. Our Plan’s actions strive not only to reduce greenhouse gas pollution but also improve community health, safety, housing, transportation, green living wage jobs, and access to other essential services. Since climate change interacts with every part of our lives and community, we must work at these intersections.  

With an ambitious and intersectional plan, we need to partner – regionally, nationally, and internationally – with trusted community leaders, prioritize actions in neighborhoods that have been made most vulnerable, and build community capacity and access to decision-making. Within and beyond city limits, we will rely on community, public, nonprofit, and private partners to share information and expertise, offer funding and other resources, and deliver services that make our communities better off. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities are valued role models and collaborators as we improve our stewardship and seek this new path for our communities. 

 

Section 2 lists dozens of partner organizations we plan to work with on climate actions. 

What is the climate planning process?

 

Phase Actions  Timeline 
Phase 1

Understanding Community Priorities

  • Collect baseline data
  • Model carbon pollution emissions
September 2020- January 2021
Phase 2

Strategy and Action Planning

  • Identify technical opportunities and community benefits
February - July 2021

Phase 3

 

 

 

Plan Release and Adoption

  • Center equity in Plan
  • Deliver ambitious and achievable draft Plan
August - November 2021

Implementation 

Plan Adoption and Implementation

  • Hold ourselves accountable
  • Track progress and 2030 Indicator Targets
November 2021 - Present

 

 

 

Why is this plan important?

From climate impacts, to environmental justice, to health and economic crises – we need to prioritize actions that reduce negative impacts and increase positive opportunities for all our communities, especially those made most vulnerable. Resolution No. 40509 declaring a climate emergency in Tacoma, directed the City of Tacoma to engage and collaborate with community members and those most burdened by environmental impacts through new partnerships as we update City plans and policies. Working with the EJ Leaders Workgroup and Climate Action Ambassadors helps us achieve this goal and create a more inclusive and robust plan. The updated plan that results from this process, to be adopted by Tacoma City Council in late 2021, will direct funding and actions to help you and our community.

Who is included in the planning process?

Throughout the climate action planning process, the City of Tacoma will prioritize voices from frontline communities, including communities of color, youth and young adults, and other historically underrepresented, underserved, or vulnerable groups. Input will also be encouraged from all community members who live, work, or play in Tacoma.

 

In order to understand which groups we are reaching and to better ensure equitable outcomes for the community, we are asking participants in the climate action planning process for their demographic information. While not required to provide, demographic information is an important tool for the City to understand whose voices we are hearing and which groups are still underrepresented in our planning process so that we can adjust our engagement and outreach strategies as we go.



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