Staff preview new "Dignity toward Decarbonization" climate plan and public outreach approach

City staff presented an updated approach to Ithaca's climate action planning on Sept. 10, saying the new framing—"Dignity toward Decarbonization"—will center human needs, equity and systems-based strategies across housing, public health, labor, power reliability and emergency response.

"We're trying to create policies that ultimately and programs that are ultimately relatable that are really human centered in the human experience," Rebecca (staff leading the climate work) told council. Staff said the new approach reframes mitigation work so decarbonization becomes an outcome of policies that also improve dignity, resilience and equity.

Staff described a process that began in 2024 with risk assessments, interviews with internal staff and community partners, and research; the plan is being released in sections for public feedback via OpenGov and other engagement channels. The first public sectors released will be paired for review; staff said a final draft, incorporating community feedback and internal review, is expected to return to council in the fall for consideration.

Staff also showed a prioritization tool that lets council members or the public weight goals (for example, prioritize housing and public health, seek cost‑neutral short-term steps) and produce a ranked list of recommended actions based on those priorities. Staff said the tool is intended to support budget decisions and to make climate recommendations more accessible to nontechnical audiences.

Why it matters: the reorientation emphasizes social outcomes and resilience alongside greenhouse-gas reduction, and staff requested council help with public outreach. Staff said the plan will include a matrix of recommendations and that many actions will require additional implementation work if council adopts the plan.

Next steps: staff will continue to release sector papers, collect public feedback, hold events as resources allow and return a consolidated plan later this year. Council members asked staff to enable a "save" feature for the survey and to help circulate outreach materials to ward constituents and community networks.