Douglas County releases Climate Action and Adaptation Plan

The Douglas County Sustainability Office has published the final draft of the “Adapt Douglas County: A Climate Action and Adaptation Plan” that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help the community adapt to the risks of climate change.

To develop the plan, Sustainability staff from Douglas County and the City of Lawrence, conducted an extensive community input process that included: peer-to-peer interviews, focus groups, surveys, public meetings and open houses. The planning process prioritized lived experiences and local conditions and utilized a countywide greenhouse gas inventory - the first conducted. It also sought alignment with existing community strategies and priorities to strengthen opportunities to achieve climate action across Douglas County.  

The planning team consulted with staff, leaders and citizens of all municipalities and the unincorporated areas within Douglas County to develop the plan. “While we all may be starting at different places or have unique focus areas, collectively identifying goals that are relevant across the county, will allow us to work in the same direction together,” Douglas County Sustainability Manager Kim Criner Ritchie said.

“Adapt Douglas County: A Climate Action and Adaptation Plan” contains 14 goals and corresponding strategies for reducing emissions and thriving amid a changing climate, and they are outlined in four sections:
 
•    Energy – powering where we live, work and play. 
•    Mobility – moving around the community safely and efficiently. 
•    Living Systems – balancing land uses, ecosystems, and natural functions. 
•    Thriving Community – nurturing health and resilience across the county. 

“By calling the plan ‘Adapt Douglas County,’ we are reinforcing the fact that adaptation is more than addressing vulnerabilities and increasing preparedness, it is also drastically adjusting how we meet our needs as a community. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is our greatest opportunity to adapt how we co-exist with the natural world when it comes to the climate,” Criner Ritchie said. 

The plan also includes recommendations for prioritizing equity in climate actions, a section outlining implementation roles, methods and next steps, and context of county emissions relative to global reduction goals. 

The final draft of the plan is scheduled to be presented to the Board of County Commissioners during a work session at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22. Following the work session, Commissioners will consider adoption of the plan during their business meeting that starts at 5:30 p.m.

The need for a plan was identified in Plan 2040, which specifically calls for Douglas County to adopt a climate change adaptation and mitigation plan.

For more information, please visit: http://dgcoks.org/caap.