The City of Phoenix’s Environmental Quality and Sustainability Commission (EQSC), met on Thursday to discuss Arizona’s response to man-made climate issues and to provide updates on Phoenix’s Climate Action Plan.
The meeting, which was held over Zoom, comes at a time when climate in Phoenix is a huge topic of discussion.
Data from the National Weather Service shows that Phoenix just recorded its hottest summer in recorded history. So far this summer, Phoenix has recorded 52 days of temperatures above 110 degrees, a whopping jump from the 2011 record of 33 days.
According to a study conducted by Climate Central, an independent organization that conducts climate-related scientific research, Phoenix is one of the fastest-warming big cities in the U.S.
As Phoenix emerges from these major heat waves, citizens look toward city officials for action. In response, the EQSC has established two committees with the goal of addressing the increasingly dangerous heat levels.
According to the City of Phoenix website, the Urban Heat Island and Tree and Shade subcommittees were both founded in 2018 with the goal of “evaluating, analyzing, and recommending policies” that address urban heat issues. An urban heat island (UHI) is an urban area that is much warmer than the rural areas around it. Urban heat islands are common in places that are heavily populated with people and activity.
The Tree and Shade subcommittee is also tasked with advancing the implementation of the Tree and Shade Master Plan. According to the City of Phoenix website, the Master Plan, which includes planting 5,000 trees in Phoenix by the end of 2020, is now looking to tackle the shade element of the plan and will begin expanding to include different types of shade structures, says committee member Dwayne Allen.
With Phoenix enveloped in a haze from record-setting California fires, the committee discussed the topic of climate issues around the country and, specifically, the Phoenix area.
“We have significant issues in the valley with air quality. We run the real risk of being qualified for a serious non-attainment ozone in 2024. That’s going to have significant economic consequences,” says Nancy Allen, a member of the EQSC.
Non-attainment areas are classified areas that do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards from the Clean Air Act of 1970. Allen, who briefly touched upon the wildfires in the west, warns against similar catastrophe occurring in Arizona, saying “we don’t want that happening here.”
The updated Climate Action Plan will be completed mid-October, according to Dr. Matthew Potzler, an environmental quality specialist with the City of Phoenix. Phoenix recently joined the C40 city network, a group of cities from across the world dedicated to addressing climate change, and is now under pressure to release a climate action plan that is not only compliant with both the Paris Climate Accord and previous goals set by the city, but also adequately addresses concerns from citizens.
The plan, which is a “little over 100 pages,” according to Poltzer, will be the first time that “most all of the projects and programs that the city has out right now [are] in one place,” Allen said. “This is a climate action plan for the nation’s fifth largest city. It is not going to be a brochure, it is going to have meat behind it. If we make a statement, it is going to be a defensible statement.”
Allen called the plan “robust.”
Colin Tetreault, who chairs the EQSC, called on committee members to draw attention to the new Climate Action Plan once it is released, with the goal of eliciting feedback from the public.
Virtual workshops will be held in the future, which are intended to get the community to comment on the plan, Dr. Potzler said.
“We recognize that [our timeline] is aggressive,” Allen said.
Allen said the document being presented to city council this fall will not be the final effort.
“This is going to be a continually evolving document,” says Allen.
Contact the reporter at ribanuel@asu.edu.
