Climate Change is Here
Hotter temperatures, drought, wildfires, smoke, ocean acidification, and decreased mountain snowpack. It is caused by increased pollution in the air that traps heat in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the primary pollutant responsible for climate change and is released due to human activity, such as burning of oil, fuel, and natural gas; most electricity generation; and production of food and goods. Understanding the areas of greatest risk helped us develop a roadmap for our actions to reduce our impact and adapt to changes that are already here.
From Planning to Action
In February 2020 the Lane County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution addressing the climate crisis. The resolution required Lane County to form a Climate Advisory Committee to develop the following climate action plans:
Phase 1: Internal Operations Climate Action Plan - 2021
Phase 2: Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan
Phase 3: Climate Adaption and Resilience Plan
These plans are documents that Lane County is using to prioritize actions to address climate change. Upon adoption of the final plan in December 2022, the Board of County Commissioners disbanded the Climate Advisory Committee and directed staff to focus on implementing the Climate Action Plans.
What are we doing now?
Passage of the federal Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law made billions of dollars available for states, Tribes, local governments, and public and private entities to tackle climate change. Lane County staff is working to identify opportunities to support our implementation efforts. We know that we are stronger together and staff is also leading and participating in various collaborative efforts to strengthen our impact. Lane County convenes a monthly Lane Regional Resiliency Collaborative meeting with external partners such as the City of Eugene, LRAPA, EWEB and the University of Oregon to coordinate climate action efforts.
Staff are also meeting regularly internally to implement actions in the Internal Operations Climate Action Plan, such as developing climate friendly procurement requirements, and adopting a Climate lens for Lane County’s Capital Improvement Plan.
Contact us if you are interested in collaborating on a grant opportunity or visit our current initiatives page to learn about past and present grant applications and awards.