The Austin Climate Equity Plan has established the goal of equitably achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions throughout the community by 2040, meaning that the Austin community would reduce our use of fossil fuels to nearly zero. Harris County is now the second county in Texas to adopt a climate action plan. The first was Travis County, which includes Austin. Texas does not have a statewide climate plan, although the Federal Environmental Protection Agency said in October that it would establish a regional center to coordinate adaptation activities in Texas and four neighboring states. Project partners, including the City of Austin, AISD, the nonprofit organization EcoRise, East Austin Prep charter school, Texas Children in Nature Network and ten coalition members in Pharr, Texas, will use this data to carry out small-scale projects and inform larger-scale climate mitigation and adaptation initiatives.
In a 3-1 vote along party lines last week, the commissioners of Texas' most populous county approved a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote environmental justice. The following goals for 2030 aim to make buildings in Austin more sustainable while increasing equity. The new Austin Climate Equity Plan was designed to limit the local effects of climate change and address related racial and economic inequalities in the city.
