Ramsey County is committed to leading in the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, elevating environmental justice and countering the disparate impacts on under recognized communities across the county. Climate change continues to impact the health and well-being of Ramsey County residents, and with more severe impact on racially and ethnically diverse and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, including:
- Black/African American, American Indian, and other racially and ethnically diverse populations, due to the compounding effects of racism and oppression.
- Immunocompromised individuals, people with chronic illness or health complications, and pregnant people whose physical ability to endure environmental stress is limited.
- People who work outside or are unhoused, due to their increased exposure to climate conditions.
- People with limited mobility, such as our oldest family members, other-abled individuals, individuals without cars, and people who are incarcerated, who may not be able to reach assistance during climate emergencies.
- People who are dependent on social networks for support, such as low-income families, children, recent immigrants, and non-English speakers who may not have easy access to resources and/or may be focused on addressing other life stressors.
In 2023, the county worked across departments internally and with community members to develop a draft of a comprehensive Equitable Climate Action Framework based on the State of Minnesota’s climate action framework, that will guide the county’s actions to respond to climate change and equitably increase community resilience.
Racial equity and shared power
Ramsey County is committed to advancing racial equity and environmental justice so that all residents live, play and work in a clean, safe, and healthy environment. This year, Ramsey County will convene a group of residents who are representative of under recognized and climate-vulnerable communities to review progress made towards the goals outlined in our Equitable Climate Action Framework and discuss ways to prioritize equity and minimize the disparate impacts of climate change. A new outreach and engagement specialist will also be tasked with further developing relationships with under recognized and climate-vulnerable community to share resources and learn more about residents’ priorities and needs.
Goals for strategic priority goals
Finalize, publish, and advance the actions outlined in Ramsey County’s 2024-2028 Equitable Climate Action Framework, focusing specifically in 2024 on 1) initiating near term actions in each focus area and 2) finalizing progress metrics to transparently communicate successes and barriers.
Actionable strategies
- Initiate near-term actions in each of the ECAF’s six focus areas: clean transportation, climate smart natural land, thriving communities, clean energy and efficient buildings, healthy lives and clean economy.
- Build countywide capacity and organize resources to increase resilience through implementation of the ECAF’s mid-term and far-term actions.
- Improve communication around climate action initiatives and finalize progress metrics to transparently communicate successes and barriers in this work.
- Expand community engagement to share existing resources and guide future county climate action.
