As Phoenix continues to experience record-breaking heat and drought, city leadership is actively updating its climate action plans, and they are asking residents to work with them to achieve their goals (photo courtesy of city of Phoenix).
Considering the uncertainty surrounding the current administration’s “efficiency” efforts, and on the heels of announced layoffs within the U.S. Forest Service, a meme began circulating depicting Smokey the Bear with his iconic exhortation: “Only you can prevent forest fires.” In small print, was added, “Seriously, we’ve been defunded. It’s just you now.”
Clever, but unfunny considering the lives turned upside-down and the very real threat of wildfires in the nation’s forests. Fueling that threat, science says, is human-induced climate change, which has been identified as the main driver of the increase in “fire weather” in the western United States. A March 19 report published by the World Meteorological Organization confirmed what Phoenix residents felt: 2024 was indeed the hottest year on record globally.
Climate change can affect our health, ability to grow food, housing, safety and work, but if we can work together, there is hope on the horizon, says Joshua Uebelherr, Ph.D. He is the climate program manager for the City of Phoenix Office of Environmental Programs. In the coming weeks, he and his team will be making the rounds, holding Community C.A.F.E. (Climate Action, Food & Energy) events and engaging with residents as the city updates its Climate Action Plan, which also encompasses the 2030 Food Action Plan and Energy Access Plan, which focuses on access and affordability of energy.
“The purpose of the climate action plan is to meet that vision of being the most sustainable desert city in the world. And climate is a big part of that,” he said. “We’re on the front line with drought and heat, and so that climate action plan sets broad goals that we aim for to achieve larger outcomes.”
The original plan was approved at the Oct. 12, 2021, city council policy session and it set forth some big goals: A carbon-neutral city by 2050 operating on 100 percent clean energy; All new buildings are “net positive” by 2050 in both energy use and materials; Greenhouse Gas emission reduction targets (40 percent by 2025 for city operations only is on track as is 50 percent by 2030 community-wide, and 100 percent by 2050 community-wide); Meeting federal clean air standards by 2050; Zero waste through the circular economy; A 100-year supply of clean and reliable water; and creating a vibrant healthy food system by 2050 with zero food deserts.
Progress has been made, Uebelherr said. From completing the Skytrain at Sky Harbor Airport, which took 78 compressed natural gas buses out of circulation and now utilizes cleaner electricity to transport people between parking and terminals; and completing the drought pipeline to bring Salt and Verde River water to North Phoenix; to completing 90 percent of the 2021 food systems actions and goals, which addresses food deserts and aims to provide healthy, affordable, accessible and culturally relevant food for all. That last goal was largely accomplished through ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding and focused on home garden and aquaponics programs, food waste reduction, increasing composting and food system workforce development.
However, “The city can’t do it alone. It requires a community-wide effort to make progress on climate change.” And there are things residents can do individually to make a positive impact.
“I tend to think of things in twos when it comes to climate – one is reducing emissions and one is increasing resilience,” Uebelherr said. “From the resilience end of things, we can take steps to reduce water and increase efficiency (think low-use water fixtures and xeriscaping). On the emissions side, the biggest thing people can do is related to transportation, our largest source of emissions. Carpool, take public transit, telework – all can have a dramatic impact in addition to choosing single occupancy vehicles that have lower carbon footprints.”
As the city updates its action plans for 2025, a series of public workshops will be held across the city, including this month at Sunnyslope Community Center and Devonshire Senior Center, citywide via Zoom and in May at Steele Indian School Park. And a community survey will be available through May for residents to offer feedback. Information on the 2025 Climate Action Plan Update can be found at www.phoenix.gov/climate.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for residents to participate in the development of all of our three plans,” Uebelherr said. “We would love to have people from the community tell us what they want to see in these plans and participate in the survey.”
And he is hopeful that the goals set forth by the city are achievable, “Residents should know that even though climate change is a difficult challenge to solve, we can make meaningful progress through individual and collective action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase our resilience to climate change impacts. So, there’s hope out there. It can be done. It’s just a matter of individual and collective will.”
