Town of Essex Passes Climate Change Adaptation Plan

Council adopts action plan and declares climate emergency

At their Regular Meeting on Tuesday, February 16, Council for the Town of Essex officially adopted Climate Ready: A Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the Town of Essex, 2021-2026. The plan provides a roadmap for both Council and administration to prepare and adapt to the future impacts of climate change.

“The plan is not just a road map to help us, as a municipality, prepare for the impacts of climate change,” said Mayor Larry Snively. “It will also serve as a resource for residents and local stakeholders on how they become involved in climate change adaptation, and how we can all do our part to make sure our community is safe and ready for these changes. The scientific evidence tells us how climate change will impact our community, and, as elected officials, we must do all that we can to prepare for those challenges.”

The plan, which is the first of its kind to be adopted by an Essex County municipality, covers the basics of climate change science, discusses local impacts and projections, then outlines specific action items in 11 categories, which are further split between corporate objectives to be achieved by Town administration, and community objectives, which are designed to educate and promote climate resilience for citizens and stakeholder groups.

“Like our Corporate Strategic Plan, Climate Ready provides our entire team with specific goals and action items which we will strive to achieve,” said Chris Nepszy, Chief Administrative Officer. “However, given that the creation of the plan incorporated input from residents, business owners, community groups, Council Members, and Town staff, we expect our implementation efforts to be just as comprehensive. While the Town will lead the effort, we’ll continue to seek support and input from the community and local stakeholders to accomplish these goals.”

The plan was developed from late-2019 to 2021 in consultation with residents and local stakeholders, as well as with members of the Essex Climate Adaptation Team and Town of Essex administration.

“This was truly a team effort,” Mayor Snively added. “I’d like to thank all of the hard-working members of the Essex Climate Adaptation Team, Town staff, residents, as well as my fellow Council Members who provided their input and who helped make this plan a reality.”

At the same meeting, Council also declared a climate emergency, joining the Federal Government and 444 Canadian municipalities advocating for the drastic change needed to reduce global carbon emissions to mitigate future climate impacts and adapt to the impacts from climate change.