Boise's Climate Action Roadmap
Many of the opportunities identified in this plan will allow Boise to become more resilient to a range of anticipated climate-related impacts and hazards. Some of these opportunities emphasize adapting to changing climate conditions, while others focus on modernizing and upgrading infrastructure and systems to make them better prepared to withstand future climate-related shocks and stressors.
To help inform climate equity principles, the City of Boise is developing the Clean City Index -- a distributional environmental justice, health and equity baseline. The goal of this assessment is to understand where there are disparities in access to environmental and health amenities or disproportionate exposure to environmental health hazards that tend to impact frontline communities. The information collected will cover proximity to hazards and sensitive land uses, health risk and exposure, and social, health and climate vulnerabilities. The data will include parameters such as air, noise pollution, flooding, extreme heat, distance from green spaces, and health facilities. In addition, the distribution of amenities such as tree canopy cover, parks, open spaces, sidewalks, bikeways, and walkability will be included. The Clean City Index will produce a geographic-based indication of environmental justice and equity in the community and identify areas of the city that could benefit from additional focus and investment.
Summary
This roadmap serves as a strategic guide for our community to accelerate community climate action in Boise. Climate action encompasses activities related to both reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increasing community resilience to a changing climate. Our planet - our community - is at a crossroads. Our days are getting hotter, our water resources are threatened, forests are burning, and air quality is worsening. As individuals, as a city, as a country and as a global community – we must take bold action to address climate change. The City of Boise is positioned to face this crisis head on, because as a community that is what we do. We recognize that we are the generation that must solve this, for our children and theirs. Our health and our future prosperity depend on us acting now.
Options Considered in this Plan
7 Steps to Define Your Business Process by Stefano Borghi. Used via CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, via Google.
