COLUMBUS – Warning of the economic toll that could be brought on by extreme weather due to climate change, Columbus city and community leaders have unveiled the city’s first long-range climate plan, which aims to make Ohio’s largest city carbon neutral in the next 30 years.
Mayor Andrew Ginther was joined by business, environmental and community leaders Thursday when he announced the Columbus Climate Action Plan, which he described as “a community roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.”
The city’s latest operating budget contains $10 million in initial funding for the plan, which also calls for a 45% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Heat waves, heavy rains, floods and drought resulting from climate change may produce health and economic consequences for Columbus neighborhoods, including areas already facing economic and social adversity.
“We owe it to them, and to our entire community, to reduce our collective carbon footprint, improve our local environment and empower our most vulnerable neighbors with the resources they need to withstand a changing climate,” Ginther said.
The plan will be updated on a five-year basis to keep pace with the latest circumstances and climate science, Ginther said.
The $10 million already allocated in the proposed 2022 operating budget is meant to pay for clean energy jobs, energy efficiency initiatives, a regional fund to support solar projects for nonprofit organizations and affordable housing units, and staffing increases for Sustainable Columbus, the city’s existing sustainability initiative.