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. |
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Climate action update
There’s been a lot going on with the climate action plan project during the last few months.
TASK FORCE MEETINGS
The Community Advisory Task Force met twice in September.
The task force is scheduled to hold two more meetings in early 2023 before the final plan is presented to the Board of County Commissioners.
COMMUNITY SURVEY RESULTS
During May and June 2022, the Project Steering Committee and consultant team (SSG) invited the public to take an online survey, in either English or Spanish, to learn about and comment on actions needed to help us reach our goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.
We shared information about the survey in a variety ways including emails to interested parties, county advisory groups and business organizations; social media; county community and staff publications; media releases; a dedicated webpage linked from the front page of the county website, and presentations to county and community groups.
An overview of the results are below; please note that there was an English version and a Spanish version of the survey, and the results are compiled separately.
Overview of English-language survey results
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A. There is a lot of interest in the topic of climate change.
- There were 935 people who took the time to respond to the survey.
- 86% said climate change is very important or important to them personally.
B. Everyone has a role to play in responding to climate change.
67% of respondents said “all of the above” when asked who is responsible for addressing climate change. The options were community and grassroots organizations; non-profits; city, county, state or federal governments; private businesses, and/or individuals.
C. Concerns about the impact of climate change reflect personal experience.
- 77% of respondents said they had experienced climate change impacts – especially wildfires, extreme heat and cold, storms, health problems, economic losses and damage to native plants and animals.
- 80% or more of respondents were concerned or somewhat concerned about climate changes.
D. There is broad support for the county to take climate action.
74% to 94% of respondents support the county taking climate action in its own facilities and operations, supporting climate action in the community and advocating for climate action with other jurisdictions and organizations.
E. Many people are interested in taking individual climate actions, but some need support to help make it happen.
43% to 67% said they were interested in improving energy efficiency in their home, and most respondents said they would need at least some financial support, education, training, a link to resources or permission of a building owner in order to make the improvement.
Overview from Spanish-language survey results
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A: There is interest in the topic of climate change.
Of the 22 people who responded, 85% said climate change is very important or important to them personally and 82% said they had personally experienced the effects of climate change.
El cambio climatologico esta afectando nuestro ambiente y forma de vida. Climate change is affecting our environment and way of life.
B. Everyone has a role to play in responding to climate change.
Most respondents said city, county, state and federal governments; and individuals have the biggest role to play.
Todos y cada uno tiene la obligacion de cuidar el ambiente para un mejor futuro para lasfuturas generaciones. Each and every one has the obligation to take care of the environment for a better future for future generations.
C. There are high levels of concern about climate change impact.
90% or more said they are concerned or somewhat concerned about a variety of climate change impacts, including reduced water quality, wildfires and smoke, diseases transmitted by insect, impact on wildlife, floods, etc.
D. There is support for many county climate actions.
Support for county climate actions ranged from 40% to 97% for taking climate action in our own operations, supporting climate action in the community and advocating for climate action with other jurisdictions and organizations.
E. Everyone said they are interested in increasing energy efficiency,
Most also said they need support to help make energy efficiency improvements such as financial support, education, training and/or a link to resources.
COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS
Two meetings were held online to give people a chance to talk about climate action issues in more detail. Twenty-three participants attended the meetings in June 2022.
- Discussions about ideas for decreasing emissions in Clackamas County focused on six themes — transportation, energy and retrofits, food, carbon sequestration and forest, rural engagement, and changes in political leadership.
- Participants noted common barriers to reducing emissions in five major areas -- economic costs, lack of safe and accessible active transportation infrastructure, public transportation accessibility, transparency, and knowledge translation.
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"By 2023, a Climate Action Plan is adopted for our community with specific recommendations to reach the goal of being carbon neutral by 2050."
- Clackamas County Board of Commissioners, March 2021
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Looking Ahead
We are looking forward to two more task force meetings in this project, tentatively on the following dates.
- 1-3 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023 – Implementation Guide and CAP updates
- 1-3 p.m., Thursday, March 2, 2023 – Review public input received on the CAP; wrap-up; next steps
Public outreach on the draft plan will be conducted in early 2023 before we present the final Climate Action Plan report to the Board of County Commissioners in the spring. That will be followed by the development of recommendations for the first two-year work plan later in the year, which will be presented to the board for feedback and action.
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Help us hear from the whole community
We welcome people, organizations and businesses from throughout Clackamas County to help achieve our countywide goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. This newsletter is one way to share information and opportunities for community members to be engaged. If you know of folks - students, neighbors, colleagues, supervisors, electeds - who are interested in climate change and climate action, please share this newsletter and encourage them to sign up.
Thank you for being on this journey with us!
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