FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 6, 2020
Contact:
Peter Leggett
peter.leggett@ci.stpaul.mn.us
651-307-8603
Saint Paul, MN - Today, Mayor Melvin Carter invited community members to apply to serve on a new Saint Paul Climate Justice Advisory Board (CJAB). The Board will support the development of policies and programs informed by Saint Paul’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan, and ensure those efforts are equitably distributed to address the challenges faced by the most vulnerable populations and neighborhoods in Saint Paul. Interested community members can learn more and apply now on a rolling basis with those received by August 31 receiving priority at stpaul.gov/boards.
“Ensuring the many voices of our community are heard in shaping our climate action and resilience work is vital,” said Mayor Melvin Carter. “I invite all those interested in helping us realize a sustainable future for all of us to get involved by applying for the Climate Justice Advisory Board.”
“The Climate Justice Advisory Board will focus on aligning Saint Paul’s climate action work with the needs and interests of our BIPOC and under-resourced communities, who bear the brunt of the impact of our changing climate,” said Chief Resilience Officer Russ Stark. “We look forward to engaging with our community to help shape the policies and programs that will support our response to climate change.”
ABOUT THE SAINT PAUL CLIMATE JUSTICE ADVISORY BOARD
As the City works to realize the vision outlined in the Saint Paul Climate Action and Resilience Plan (CARP), the Saint Paul CJAB will focus on the impacts of policies and programs on BIPOC communities and under-resourced residents. This work will focus on ensuring that the costs and benefits of new programs in clean energy, energy efficiency, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and climate resilience and adaptation are equitably distributed to ensure Saint Paul’s most vulnerable residents benefit as much or more from these changes as the City’s less vulnerable populations.
The CJAB will be made up of 13-17 Saint Paul residents appointed by the Mayor, approved by the City Council and will include:
- At least one (1) member from each of the 7 Wards,
- At least 2 seats will be reserved for youth representatives (14-19 years old),
- One (1) seat for a representative of the building/construction trades,
- One (1) seat for a representative from the business community, and
- One (1) seat for a representative of academia.
The City will look to appoint people who represent the broad spectrum of Saint Paul’s population, and who demonstrate a high level of interest, relevant experience and/or expertise, or both. In particular, the City aspires to have strong representation from BIPOC communities that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and already disproportionately experience environmental racism. The CJAB will meet 4 to 12 times per year, and members will serve 2-year terms, with youth members serving one-year terms. Interested community members can learn more and apply now on a rolling basis with those received by August 31 receiving priority at stpaul.gov/boards.
ABOUT THE SAINT PAUL CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENCE PLAN
The City of Saint Paul developed a Climate Action & Resilience Plan focused on achieving carbon neutrality in city operations by 2030 and citywide by 2050 with a suite of targets and actions to decrease emissions across every sector in the city. Building on decades of Saint Paul’s framework for community resilience, the plan also identifies ways to cultivate long-term resilience, enhance the natural infrastructure of the city, and promotes a vision for Saint Paul’s future with diminished threats of climate change. View the plan passed by the Saint Paul City Council in December 2019 here: Climate Action and Resilience Plan
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