Detroit Climate Action Plan
Climate change is here. And Detroit has some serious, and life-impacting, decisions to make. Now.
In 2017, after many years of working with representatives from nonprofit, educational, business, and governmental organizations, as well as people in all our neighborhoods, all of which have a deep interest in the future of Detroit, DWEJ wrote and published the city’s first climate action plan. The Detroit Climate Action Plan (DCAP) is one of few plans across the country written from the streets up, not the government down.
We commissioned Detroit-specific studies—on greenhouse gas emissions, vulnerability, climatology, and economic impact. We talked and listened, held town halls, neighborhood meetings, organized summits—business and health and youth—and regrouped, over and over again, to get it right.
And it looks like we have. It’s a strong and clear beginning, written so that any resident can understand it. DWEJ has always been about inclusion, and it continues to be a thread that weaves itself through every project, every endeavor, every program we undertake.
Scientists around the world acknowledge that climate change will have serious environmental, public health, and economic consequences from which it will be increasingly difficult to recover. Whether Detroiters know it or not, we are impacted by those changes in our daily lives, and it is our responsibility to help make sure our people and businesses are well-informed, are given tools, are guided toward a healthy, resilient city for everyone.
DWEJ takes this responsibility seriously.
We are grateful to all the collaborators who made this possible, and for every resident who showed up or answered even one question. Everyone’s voice matters. It always has and it always will. DWEJ has been dedicated to translating those voices into knowledge and action continually moving along a road to a sustainable, healthy, clean-air-breathing life.
The Detroit Climate Action Plan is the result of deep collaboration. Thousands of hours of research, brainstorming, and meetings with collaborators including University of Michigan, Wayne State University and Michigan State University. Business supporters include Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., DTE Energy Co., Detroit Salt Co. and Data Driven Detroit. (See the report for the full list.)
Come join us on this journey.
The Economic Impact of the Detroit Climate Action Plan
We must reimagine how we are allocating capital resources. Tens of millions of dollars will be invested in infrastructure—repairing storm sewers, upgrading pumping systems, and repaving roads. What other investments are needed? How do we make sure some of these resources also work toward providing affordable housing, clean water, and other things that directly impact the people and their day-to-day experiences?
See how we can make this happen.
UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF
CLIMATE CHANGE IN DETROIT
In addition to the Economic Report, DWEJ commissioned three studies to study the impact of the Detroit Climate Action Plan, working in conjunction with reputable,scientific-based organizations in our backyard.