Austin Climate Equity Plan

This plan describes Austin's goals and strategies to address racial, social, and economic equity and justice as a key component of reaching climate resilience goals and reducing emissions from the city. The plan has five sections:  Sustainable Buildings, Transportation and Land Use, Transportation Electrification, Food and Product Consumption, and Natural Systems. Collectively, the plan offers 17 goals to be met by 2030 that will help get us on the pathway for net-zero emissions by 2040. The Natural Systems goals address natural areas conservation and management with a focus on resilience. The Climate Equity plan was adopted by Austin City Council in September 2021.

In a nutshell, this resource offers:

• Goals and strategies to protect existing natural areas; manage natural areas for resilience; increase community access to natural areas; and to protect water sources.
• Maps that illustrate the distribution of natural areas as it relates to BIPOC communities, young people, and population density.
• A description of how the city of Austin engaged with communities to come up with goals and strategies related to natural systems.
• Goals and strategies from other emissions-producing sectors that intersect with natural areas.

How to use this resource:

• As an example of clearly-defined goals for natural area protection and management within the context of emissions reductions.
• As a guide to weaving language about race, equity, and justice into natural areas planning and management.
• As a holistic approach to reducing emissions at the city scale.

Author: Katie Coyne, Shane Johnson, Mayuri Raja, Susana Almanza, Rocia Villalobos, Kaiba White, Pooja Sethi, Alberta Philllips, Drew Nelson, Shawanda Stewart, Darien Clary, Joep Meijer, Rodrigo Leal, Kenneth Thompson, Brandi Clark Burton, Jim Walker, Rene Renteria, Suzanne Russo, Karen Magid.

Date published: 2020

Point of contact: Phoebe Romero, Environmental Program Coordinator, phoebe.romero@austintexas.gov 

Citation: Coyne, K.; Johnson, S., Raja, M.; Almanza, S.; Villalobos, R.; White, K.; Sethi, P.; Phillips, A.; Nelson, D.; Stewart, S.; Clary, D.; Meijer, J.; Leal, R.; Thompson, K.; Clark Burton, B.; Walker, J.; Renteria, R.; Russo, S.; Magid, K. 2020. Austin Climate Equity Plan. City of Austin, Austin, Texas.

Resource is available online here.