From extreme temperatures to ballooning utility costs, low-income and vulnerable residents bear the burden of our rapidly changing climate disproportionately. 

 

As a community, we deserve a government that is proactive about climate change and invests in finding solutions to mitigate its impacts. 

 

Furthermore, as cities and states outside the Midwest navigate increasing extreme weather events, residents across the country have started to consider new places to call home. Many “Top 10 Places to Live Due to Climate Change” lists include Michigan as an ideal destination due to our freshwater resources. If climate migration leads folks to Michigan, the City of Lansing must invest in and create the sustainable infrastructure and resources to house, employ, and serve newcomers while ensuring current residents don’t face displacement. 

 

We must take bold action to reduce our city’s carbon footprint, standardize energy efficiency and sustainability in new and existing buildings, clean our waterways, and protect residents from rising utility costs. 

 

We can create and implement a bold sustainability action plan to mitigate impacts and prepare for the future by:

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• Requiring all new city buildings to meet net-zero energy standards, including solar panels and green roofs.

• Advocating for changes to increase transparency around the management of local utilities.

• Creating infrastructure to protect our most vulnerable neighbors during prolonged cold and hot temperatures. 

• Increasing mixed-use development to reduce street congestion and car usage. 

• Encouraging building revitalization and reuse whenever possible to reduce embodied carbon and improve historic preservation.