I am really pleased that the City of Madison is partnering with the UW Nelson Institute, the Wisconsin Institute on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI), and UW-Extension Dane County to help make Madison a climate-ready city. Together, these partners will help the city identify how a changing climate may affect city infrastructure and operations, so we can proactively plan to address those risks. 

Madison is already experiencing significant climate impacts — most notably, the increase in precipitation and flooding — and we are already planning for a wetter future. But flooding is not the only consequence of climate change — we expect hotter summers, changes in winter snow melt and more. With this collaboration, we will map out the most significant impacts and the necessary actions to prepare our city for the climate impacts that we know we’ll face. The results of this process will be reported to me, the Common Council and the Sustainable Madison Committee, with implementation steps identified to act on major findings. I feel very fortunate that our university partners are able to support the city in this effort. 

This process is not intended to be a one-time exercise, but rather part of a process to continually consider future climate conditions in city planning, operations and investments.

The city is also working to reduce carbon emissions through investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. You can help in these efforts by making your home more energy efficient and reducing your carbon footprint. 

Stay warm.