In August, Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Order #38, creating the Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy tasked with, among other things, ensuring that all electricity used in Wisconsin is carbon-free by 2050. This order by Gov. Evers is the first meaningful state-level action to address climate change in years, and it marks a significant step in Wisconsin’s ongoing transition to a carbon-free energy future.
Read: Why the carbon-free by 2050 goal matters
Despite the absence of state-level climate change leadership prior to the current administration, local communities throughout the state filled the leadership void by taking bold action on climate change. These local actions demonstrate that Wisconsin residents and communities are ready to tackle climate change, and they will play an important role in informing and supporting state action towards the goal of a carbon-free energy future. To show the breadth of support across Wisconsin for clean energy and climate policies, we created an interactive map where all these local actions can be recognized and catalogued in one place. Our science department mapped out all the local action in the state we could identify.
Some highlights of these local actions include:
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7 Wisconsin cities have renewable energy or carbon neutrality goals;
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3 counties have climate change-related initiatives;
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10 colleges and universities have set carbon neutrality goals, created climate adaptation plans or track their greenhouse gas emissions;
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4 cities are developing energy plans
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Mayors across the state have signed voluntary climate pledges sending the message that local communities are supportive of taking climate action;
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There are 140 Energy Independent Communities that have partnered with the state to adopt a voluntary goal of producing 25% of their energy from renewable sources.
If your community has taken action or is considering taking action and is missing from our collection, please let us know!
