Columbus seeks comment as it readies action plan
An action plan to help Columbus cope with climate change is almost complete.
The Columbus Climate Change Action Plan will serve as a road map for city officials, nonprofit groups, businesses and residents as central Ohio begins to experience the effects, such as extreme heat waves, torrential rainfall, deteriorating air quality and flooding-related infrastructure damage.
The public has through Friday to review and comment on the report, which was prepared by a team of Ohio State researchers and other experts and officials over the past year and a half.
“We want to make sure everybody has a chance to weigh in, that there was no stone left unturned,” said Jason Cervenec, education and outreach director for Ohio State’s Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center. “It’s about more than just the city; it’s for anyone in Columbus.”
More than half of Columbus residents say the city needs to do “more” or “much more” to address global warming, according to a 2013 survey by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, a research center at Yale University.
The action plan highlights steps that attempt to maximize impact, minimize cost and make use of the city’s available resources.
Among its suggestions: investing in renewable energy, upgrading sewage infrastructure, building an app to alert residents of environmental hazards, developing emergency transportation plans for floods and establishing a network of cooling centers for vulnerable populations during heat waves.
In building the plan, the Ohio State researchers worked off of a 2016 report that showed Columbus’ average annual temperatures rose higher than both national and global averages from 1951 to 2012. Over that time, the average annual temperature for Columbus warmed by 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit, and annual precipitation totals rose by about 20 percent.
As its climate shifts, the region is also bracing for a huge influx of newcomers.
“We expect to add at least a half a million new residents by 2050. That means we need to be proactive,” said Brandi Whetstone, assistant director of energy and air quality for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, which contributed to the report.
In the coming weeks, a finalized version of the document will go to the Columbus City Council and Mayor Andrew J. Ginther for consideration.
Columbus already has taken some steps to mitigate climate change, said David Celebrezze, who coordinates Columbus’ GreenSpot program, which promotes waste reduction and water and energy conservation. He pointed to city operations’ reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent since 2005 as an example.
“Climate change impacts all aspects of our lives. It is no longer only about the Arctic and Antarctica,” Celebrezze said in an email statement.
New York City, Baltimore and Midwestern cities such as Chicago and Minneapolis already have begun to incorporate climate resiliency into public policy.
The report notes that, unlike many other Great Lakes states, Ohio lacks a state-level strategy for climate adaptation. Several major cities including Cleveland, Toledo, Cincinnati and Dayton are leading the way and already have developed climate action plans.
“I think it’s unfortunate for those of us that live here because climate change is in the here and now,” Cervenec said.