Learn about the Climate Plan and give us your feedback online by visiting SpeakUp Austin.
Attend Climate Plan Steering Committee meetings. The Steering Committee and advisory group meetings are open to the public. Check out the full meeting schedule for more details.
Curious to see what we've been working on in these meetings? Access our public folders here.
Join the Community Climate Ambassadors Program to help us increase equity while we mitigate greenhouse gases. Ambassadors gather and share information about climate issues with their community. Topics include but are not limited to: energy, transportation, food, and access to nature. Ambassadors will be financially compensated to complete the following tasks:
- Participate in a workshop to learn more about climate-related issues and contribute their thoughts to the conversation.
- Work with City staff to design and develop an interview guide.
- Conduct interview reports to gather and share information about climate issues within their communities.
- Collaborate with the Office of Sustainability to reach out to networks about the Community Climate Plan.
Our ambassadors will be tasked with meaningfully engaging with the following groups:
- Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC)
- Youth
- LGBTQIA+ communities
- Immigrant, migrant, and/or refugee communities
- Union workers
- People with disabilities
- Low income communities
- People experiencing homelessness
- People with records
We put out a call for applications in Nov. 2019 and are now in the process of meeting with the selected ambassadors and kicking off the program.
We’ll be sharing more information about our ambassadors on Facebook, and in our newsletter. If you have any questions about the program, please contact Celine Rendon at celine.rendon@austintexas.gov.
Updating the Plan
Since the plan’s adoption, we’ve made progress in reducing community-wide emissions, despite rapid population growth and a growing GDP. But, over the course of the last five years, a lot has changed in terms of technology, cost, and feasibility. We also know that the rate of global warming is happening faster than we thought, so the need to lower emissions is more urgent than ever. It’s time to update and revise the Climate Plan based on where we are today.
The plan update process will involve a Steering Committee and five advisory groups that will meet through Summer 2020. These groups will be working to identify strategies that will help our city curb emissions and increase equity. The advisory groups include Transportation Electrification, Natural Systems, Sustainable Buildings, Transportation and Land Use, and Consumption of Goods. We aim to have the updated plan completed by Fall 2020
Focus on racial equity
We know that climate solutions have the potential to improve the quality of life of all Austinites, but climate change impacts don’t affect everyone equally. As part of the climate plan update, we are working to reach historically underrepresented groups — specifically, people of color — in conversations around energy, transportation, food, and access to nature. Ensuring that we are increasing equity while mitigating greenhouse gases means examining the history of racial segregation and environmental justice issues in Austin. Racial equity is the condition when race no longer predicts a person’s quality of life outcomes in our community. The City of Austin recognizes that race is the primary determinant of social equity, and therefore we begin the journey toward social equity with this definition. The City recognizes historical and structural disparities and a need for alleviation of these wrongs by critically transforming its institutions and creating a culture of equity.