Ramsey County is dedicated to helping residents adapt to the impacts of climate change, reducing contributions to climate change, promoting environmental justice and addressing the unequal impacts of climate change on underrecognized communities across the county. Climate change affects everyone , but it tends to have more severe impact on racially and ethnically diverse, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and otherwise vulnerable community members, including:
- Racially and Ethnically Diverse Communities: African American, American Indian, Latin/o/a/x, Asian and other underrepresented groups face compounded challenges due to historical and systemic racism and oppression.
- Health-Compromised Individuals: Those who are immunocompromised, have chronic illness or health complications, or are pregnant experience heightened vulnerability to environmental stress.
- Outdoor Workers and Unhoused Individuals: Increased exposure to extreme weather makes these groups more susceptible to climate-related risks.
- People with limited mobility: Elderly people, people with disabilities, those without vehicles and incarcerated individuals may face challenges reaching help during climate emergencies.
- Community-Dependent Populations: Low-income families, children, recent immigrants, and non-English speakers often lack access to critical resources due to economic and social barriers.
In 2024, the county finalized and adopted its first Climate Equity Action Plan outlining goals to address climate change and equitably increase community resilience.
Racial equity and shared power
Ramsey County is committed to ensuring that all residents live, play and work in a clean, safe, and healthy environment. To advance racial equity and environmental justice, an outreach and engagement specialist was hired in 2024, to build relationships with underrepresented and climate-vulnerable communities. This specialist convened an Equitable Climate Action Resident Advisory Team, consisting of residents from vulnerable populations. The team provides feedback on the county’s progress in implementing the Climate Equity Action Plan and explores strategies to enhance equity and reduce disparities through this work.
Strategic Priority goals
Ramsey County will continue to implement the 2024-2028 Climate Equity Action Plan, focusing on the following key areas in 2025:
- Evaluating and communicating progress, challenges and opportunities related to advancing specific climate actions.
- Building capacity within the county system to ensure the effective implementation of the Climate Equity Action Plan’s goals.
Actionable strategies
- Progress tracking and communication: Develop a platform to communicate progress made on actions in each of the Climate Equity Action Plan’s six focus areas:
- Clean transportation.
- Climate smart natural land.
- Thriving communities.
- Clean energy and efficient buildings.
- Healthy lives.
- Clean economy.
- Capacity building and implementation support:
- Consider adding designated cross departmental Climate Action Coordinator position.
- Collaborate with external vendors to support project implementation.
- Conduct strategic climate action planning sessions with county departments involved in this work.
By prioritizing these strategies, Ramsey County aims to foster resilience, promote environmental justice and ensure equitable access to resources for all residents.
