Montgomery County, Maryland, Brings Climate Planning to Life—Virtually | Article

It has been a long time since most of us have attended an in-person conference, though many groups have worked hard to recreate information sharing and networking opportunities in the virtual world. The employees of Montgomery County, Maryland, are some of the people doing this work. With just one click, you can step into the world of Montgomery County’s climate action planning process.

Montgomery County, with a population of just over one million people, is making big strides to become more climate-friendly and is using this innovative, virtual space to advance its goals. The climate action planning process, which launched in July 2019, is designed to identify and prioritize steps to reduce the county’s greenhouse gas emission and adapt to climate impacts. The county formed five workgroups—Buildings, Clean Energy, Transportation, Cl imate Adaptation and Sequestration, and Public Engagement and Education—consisting of 150 community members and county staff.

Montgomery County's interactive Climate Action Plan.

Credit: Montgomery County Draft Climate Action Plan

Marc Elrich, county executive, released a Draft Climate Action Plan in December 2020 which outlines the county’s climate goals.

“Montgomery County’s climate goals are among the most ambitious in the country and the world,” Elrich said in the draft plan. “[The county’s goals are] to reduce our community-wide greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2027 and 200 percent by 2035 [relative to the 2005 baseline].”

Ultimately, the workgroups came up with 8 50 recommendations to move the county closer to achieving these goals.

However, one question on every decision maker's mind is, how do ambitious climate goals align with the budget? In the case of Montgomery County, 15 volunteers were selected to form the Montgomery County Climate Change Budgeting Process Workgroup to provide guidance on effectively financing the recommendations.

The Budgeting Process Workgroup’s focus areas include both near- and long-term changes to integrate climate into budgeting and decision making. Recommendations include looking at all budgetary decisions through a climate lens; developing processes to assess the climate impacts of potential projects; integrating environmental data into budget planning; creating a “tag” in the budgeting system for climate-relevant expenditures; and outlining a “carbon budget,” to set the amount of carbon emissions the county will allow itself to emit each year. The workgroup also highlights the need to put a price on carbon.

As you further explore Montgomery County’s virtual climate action conference hall, you will pass banners featuring the seven key areas of the climate plan: energy, buildings, transportation, carbon sequestration, climate adaptation, climate governance and public engagement, and partnerships and education. The space also emphasizes the multidimensional nature of climate solutions by providing opportunities to explore climate maps and charts, learn about centering racial equity and social justice in climate action, share climate artwork (including music, videos, poetry, and visual art), and read climate plan materials in seven languages.

Innovative tools like the virtual platform ensure climate planning never misses a beat while also providing accurate and important information to Montgomery County residents.

Author: Kimberly Skinner

To be transported into Montgomery County’s Climate Action Plan world and view more materials, visit their interactive virtual information room.