A Survey of North American City Climate Leaders: The Prospects for Climate Action in the COVID-19 Era
Report series on “COVID & Climate: What’s Next for Cities?” provides community leaders with guidance on navigating their climate action priorities.
In the final report of our three-part series, the Boston University Institute for Sustainable Energy presents the results of a survey of 25 U.S. and Canadian city climate leaders, conducted in July and August 2020, to assess the current priority of city climate action in the context of the pandemic.
Six key findings emerged in A Survey of North American City Climate Leaders: The Prospects for Climate Action in the COVID-19 Era.
Read 2020 Survey of City Climate LeadersRead all three reports in this series>>
- Climate action is still a priority: 65% of respondents said that climate action is an equal priority since the pandemic started, but they are less optimistic that these actions will be implemented in the next 18 months. New partnerships and frameworks are necessary to support a broad recovery.
- Equity takes center stage but lacks a clear roadmap: Expanding green infrastructure, climate resiliency, urban tree coverage, improving air quality, and improving equity outcomes are among the highest priority climate actions in the next 18 months. A standard set of definitions and measurement for equity outcomes are needed to guide next steps.
- Immediate climate action can advance health, equity, and economic recovery: Top programs to support both economic recovery and climate resiliency in the next 18 months are affordable energy-efficient housing, restoring public transportation and increasing mobility, energy burden reductions, and supporting the expansion of renewable energy and a workforce for decarbonization.
- Supporting public health and mobility increase in importance: The pandemic is shifting conversations from climate change issues to those addressing the immediate needs of the population, with public health being the highest priority. Establishing safe public transportation access, expanding pedestrian and bike paths, and communicating the impacts of climate and health risks are top actions that will take place in the next 18 months.
- Decarbonization programs and ecosystem support are sustained: 100% of cities indicate that renewable energy procurement, rooftop solar, energy-efficient retrofits, and CO2 emission reductions for municipal facilities either remain important or are increasing in importance.
- Community engagement and communication continue to challenge: Strategies such as integrated planning and integrative decision-making are of greater importance in planning to help bridge the digital divide; however, cities are unsure how to most effectively implement these changes.
Authored by:
- Ardeth Barnhart, Senior Research Consultant, ISE; Jacqueline Ashmore, Executive Director, ISE; Alicia Zhang, Research Assistant, ISE; Cutler Cleveland, Associate Director, ISE; Taylor Dudley, Research Assistant, ISE
- Katharine Lusk, Co-Director, BU Initiative on Cities
- Peter Plastrik and John Cleveland, Innovation Network for Communities