Harris County officials are inviting the public to help shape the county's first-ever climate justice plan. Several public meetings are being held throughout various precincts from the end of August throughout September in order for officials to share ongoing initiatives of the plan and to hear feedback from the community.
Meeting details:
- All meetings are free (admission)
- Aug. 22, 6-7:30 p.m., George H.W. Bush Community Center, 6827 Cypresswood Drive, Spring
- Aug. 24, 10 a.m.-noon, Harris County Department of Education, 6300 Irvington Blvd., Houston
- Sept. 5, 6-7:30 p.m., Emancipation Park, 3018 Emancipation Ave., Houston
- Sept. 7, 10 a.m.-noon, Bayland Community Center, 6400 Bissonnet St., Houston
- Sept. 14, 10 a.m.-noon, Baker Ripley Pasadena, 720 Fairmont Parkway, Pasadena
Digging deeper
The county set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, while also centering community environmental equity. The initiative was approved by Harris County commissioners during a January 2023 court meeting. Local nonprofit organization, Coalition for Environment, Equity and Resilience, partnered with the county to develop a community climate justice plan, according to CEER Director Stefania Tomaskovic.
The plan will help Harris County prepare vulnerable communities for and protect them from the effects of climate change. The plan will also help mitigate inequality and foster resiliency in low-income communities that are expected to suffer the most from climate change, according to plan documents.
Zooming out
Climate justice initiatives continue throughout Harris County, including the county's ongoing efforts to mitigate urban heat impacts. Various Harris County governmental departments, alongside a number of nonprofit partners, worked with more than 100 community volunteers on Aug. 10 as part of the largest national single-day, community-led heat-mapping campaign in Texas.
Lisa Lin, Harris County's director of sustainability, said the data collected will benefit the county's ongoing efforts to mitigate urban heat impacts. Under the county's 2023 Climate Action Plan guidelines, extreme weather events do not impact all communities equally when it comes to public health.
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"Even in the time between 2020 to this year, there's development patterns that have changed. Trees have been lost due to extreme weather events, the drought, the derecho and Hurricane Beryl. We know that the built environment is constantly changing," Lin said.
