Youth engage on climate; dry summer ahead

June 2021 edition

Our climate action plan will be the blueprint to support a vibrant economy, improved health, protected lands, and a safe and thriving community for generations to come.

The CAP big picture

Coming up this summer:

The initial technical analysis is almost complete. More information on this soon!
The Board of County Commissioners has approved all 24 Community Advisory Task Force (CATF) members, so meetings will begin this summer!
Other CATF-related outreach will also begin this summer to focus on climate issues and concerns for the rural and business communities.
Staff representing various cities throughout the county will begin exploring how the cities will engage with the climate action plan.

Youth task force helps develop climate plan

Young people will be profoundly impacted by climate change. In order to provide them the chance to be deeply involved in the development of the climate action plan, the Youth Advisory Task Force (YATF) is working through climate science and other core issues at an age-appropriate level.

Twenty-four youth under the age of 23 have been meeting monthly since March. So far, they have focused their meetings on learning:

how climate change works,
how justice can be incorporated into climate action, and
how community engagement informs planning processes.

Climate action plan timeline update

In recognition of the delays caused by COVID-19, the September 2020 wildfires and the February 2021 ice storm, the Board of County Commissioners adjusted their climate action goal to specify that the climate action plan shall be adopted by 2023. This provides a one-year extension from the original deadline. Otherwise, the core goal, to be carbon neutral by 2050, remains unchanged.

The baseline technical data gathered by our consultants during Discover phase (see graphic above) will provide a strong foundation for the task force, subcommittees and other stakeholders to evaluate potential climate actions. Partners from around the region helped the team by providing important data.

During Phase 2 of work (Develop), we will share that foundation with the task force and the subcommittees as we explore various climate actions and their possible impacts.

High risk for wildfires and drought this summer

The National Weather Service recently shared a forecast for the 2021 summer in Oregon that predicts dryer weather, with high risk of wildfires and drought. This forecast emphasizes the need for this work.

The World Forestry Center recently put out an outstanding series called Adapting to the Era of Megafires. The series explores risks and strategies for wildfires in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest from root causes to thoughtful solutions.

Adapting to the Era of Megafires: Episode 1

Help us hear from the whole community

We want to hear from the community about how the county can best achieve our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. This newsletter is one of the best ways to share opportunities for community members to be engaged. If you know of folks - students, neighbors, colleagues, supervisors, electeds - who would be interested in learning about and perhaps contributing to this plan, please share this newsletter and encourage them to sign up.

We also want to know what kind of information you would like in this newsletter and on the project webpage. Send suggestions to climate@clackamas.us.

Thank you for being on this journey with us!

My Voice Matters!

Youth and Climate Change