FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — At the Tuesday July 17 Fayetteville City Council meeting, councilors decided unanimously to adopt the Fayetteville Climate Action Plan, brought forward by Peter Nierengarten, the city's environmental director.
The city passed a similar plan in 2018 called the Energy Action Plan.
"This new plan is really a holistic approach to to addressing climate change," Nierengarten said. "All of these goals have strategies and actions buried underneath them that help drive towards the specifics of achieving these goals."
The plan is divided into two sectors, one regarding emission reduction strategies which would help reduce the drivers of climate change. There are specific goals outlined within energy, transportation, waste and water. The goal of the plan is to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
"Focusing on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation options that have a lower carbon footprint," Nierengarten said.
The other sector is bringing forward nature based solutions. The city wants to get and improve ecosystems that can buffer the impact of extreme weather.
"Tree planting is a great example of doing that. Trees help absorb and sequester carbon, and then they can also help provide shade and cooling effects that can reduce energy consumption," Nierengarten said.
By merging the two sectors together they want to promote climate equality as some believe climate change could disproportionately affect different groups.
"How can we mitigate for the impact that climate change is going to have unfairly on different populations across our city, and how can we ensure that we've got equitable access to active transportation and open space across our community?" Nierengarten asked.
Of the residents who were, many endorsed the plan and said they want to bring Fayetteville forward as a leader for future generations.
"I know I enjoy the environment very much, and I know people move here for the environment, and it needs to be a number one concern. And so this is the plan that will help you make decisions to move the city forward in this kind of positive and progressive direction," said Todd Yeslo, a Fayetteville resident.
"This is just another way Fayetteville can lead. We have to start locally. We have to start within our own communities," said Dot Neely, another resident at the council meeting.
To view the whole plan, you can find it here.
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