The original Climate Action Plan (CAP) was published in 2021 in partnership with the Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute. The 2021 CAP goals were to reduce air pollution and energy use, and to improve air quality and community health. Organized into four key impact areas—transportation, buildings and energy, waste, and local food, agriculture, and green space—the plan identified actionable strategies to lower greenhouse gas emissions 15% by 2030, 35% by 2040, and 50% by 2050.

But Evansville is already experiencing climate impacts - more frequent and intense storms, more extreme temperatures, drought, flooding, and wildfire smoke from neighboring lands - and we are realizing we must do more to prepare for the future. We must help our community to prepare to be resilient to these impacts, and we must curb our contribution to further changes.

In 2024, the Evansville Climate Collaborative (ECC) launched a revision of the original CAP using grant funding from the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program. ECC partnered with Keramida, Inc., a professional consultancy experienced in developing municipal Climate Action Plans. Their experienced team have guided the revision process, ensuring it was both effective and aligned with best practices.

ECC also engaged a 30+ stakeholder team of leaders from local government, regional agencies, and local businesses and organizations. The team used the original 2021 CAP strategies as a foundation to develop the 2025 CAP strategies to honor the intent of the original community engagement process and the community's needs and priorities. The team also conducted and utilized many local technical studies and literature reviews to develop science-based actions and goals.

The 2025 Climate Action Plan is a 5-year strategic plan with both short term and long term goals. The plan aims to reduce energy use and costs, reduce air pollution, and improve community health and resilience, while doing our part to curb further climate impacts. The plan's goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30% by 2030 and 80% by 2050 through 50 strategic actions in 5 sectors: Energy, Transportation, Waste, Land, and Resiliency. The plan provides many co-benefits, such as improved public health, improved mobility, enhanced energy security, reduced operational costs, and improvements in quality of life and quality of place.

Ultimately, Evansville's 2025 Climate Action Plan will serve as a dynamic framework for Evansville, enabling the community to respond effectively to climate challenges and fostering a more resilient future for all residents.

A resolution to adopt the new plan will be presented to the Evansville City Council at their March 31, 2025 meeting.