A City Looks Up - The City of Phoenix Addresses Climate Change

Today, I want to share something that I found uplifting -- The City of Phoenix's current Climate Action Plan. https://www.phoenix.gov/oep/climate

The US federal government is largely ignoring climate issues. Cities grapple with it "on the ground." It gives me hope to live in a city that is pledging to uphold the Paris Climate Accords, and making plans to do so. The plans are practical -- and even for those who doubt man-made climate change -- and wise. Yes, we need to manage the city's waste, we need to manage water use and sourcing, increasing electric trains will also ease road congestion, and adding tree canopies will help reduce "the urban heat island effect" that plagues the city. Switching to LED bulbs for street lamps isn't just "more green" -- it is saving the city money by reducing it's electrical bill.

Years ago I became familiar with The Transition Movement, and Transition Towns (https://transitionnetwork.org/), which started in the UK. I wanted to be part of a similar movement where I lived, here in Phoenix, AZ. I listed myself as forming such a group. It is a decade later and no one has contacted me expressing interest to join. (Although I did meet one woman who had viewed my interest in Transition Towns and when she found out that I was the person that had listed myself as forming such a group, she said that she had wanted to meet me for a long time.) And now the city I live in is addressing major components of The Transition Movement. That is big.

Is the City of Phoenix's Climate Action Plan comprehensive enough to meet climate goals in 2050? Oh, probably not. More goals will need to be made -- and, more importantly, met. Today, it is heartening to know that instead of putting their collective heads in the sand, the people in my city's government are at least looking up and forward and addressing the problem.

Perfect, no. Practical? Yes. It is a reasonable starting place.