An increasing number of US cities have adopted a Climate
Action Plan (CAP). Just to name a few: Portland, Oregon; Chicago, Illinois; Boston, Massachusetts;
and Minneapolis,
Minnesota have adopted rigorous plans that define the threats Climate Change
poses to their cities and how they plan to approach these issues.

A CAP isn’t just a sustainability plan that includes Climate
Change; it’s a climate action plan that defines how sustainability must be
viewed through the lens of Climate Change. For example, existing
infrastructures—highways, water pipes—must not only be maintained, they must be
made more resilient for the challenges coming.
A CAP is an official acknowledgement that our collective
attempts at sustainability must be tailored to a quickly warming world, not simply
carrying on in the previous world where the prevailing opinion was that
humanity’s actions didn’t disrupt our environment (our life support system)
much.
A CAP should identify sources of a community’s greenhouse
gas (GHGs) emissions, which makes it more likely we will find solutions for reducing
a community’s carbon footprint.
A CAP should identify those members of the community who are
most vulnerable to the local effects of Climate Change. For example, in a heat
wave it is critical that there is a system in place to identify and inform
isolated folks who need to get relief from the heat.
A CAP can bring to the local public’s attention the specific
ways this worldwide crisis affects them. This increases the likelihood that climate
disruptions around the world will bring humanity together under a common threat,
making solutions possible when we work together.
A CAP provides an opportunity for various elements in our
society to make their voices heard, their vulnerabilities known, and their
actions inclusive. For example, folks in a poor neighborhood should have
representation in a CAP to facilitate actions by the larger community that will
actually work for all on a level and time frame that will matter.
A CAP represents to the local media a way to measure the
actions of our public officials against the plans in place to address Climate
Change. A CAP would also alert the local media that connecting the dots between
Climate Change and local climate disruptions are now a continual part of their
job description.
A CAP closes the door on climate denial. For example, a CAP
sends a message to the public that their leaders understand the science behind
this worldwide crisis and are ready to act in the public’s interests. Climate
denial then becomes the pariah message that it is, allowing peer pressure to
stop it altogether.
A CAP connects one community to another with solutions that
may be accelerated and fortified by sharing tactics and strategies. For
example, solar power is understood as a wonderful energy option that will
provide many jobs and significantly reduce GHG emissions. But many local codes
and large utilities hamper efforts for this decentralized energy option. A CAP
could level the playing field for renewable energy options and help clear away obstacles
thrown down by those who want fossil-fueled business as usual.
A CAP sends a message to the public that many long-term
projects to maintain and fortify their infrastructures for more extreme
conditions will require their understanding, patience, and support for adequate
adaptation.
A CAP sets the stage for the business community that makes
environmental regulations and practices predictable. A CAP can also suggest to
many new businesses the proper direction for new products that will help a
community adapt.
A CAP helps the public understand that many of their
activities—what they buy, what they eat, and how they travel—are integrally
related to our communal effort to address Climate Change.
A CAP, however, is just a piece of paper with no legal
authority.
But then so is the Declaration of Independence.