MISSION & HISTORY
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We are working towards a healthy, just, and resilient Missoula. While climate change is a global challenge, its impacts are experienced disproportionately and at the local level. Local governments and organizations are uniquely positioned to act on climate change.
We are already seeing climate impacts in our region. According to the Montana Climate Assessment, Missoula County is currently experiencing, and will continue to experience, hotter, drier summers; warmer, wetter winters and springs; and more frequent and intense floods, droughts, and wildfires. We can thrive in the face of change. The earlier that we understand and prepare for these changes, the greater our chances of reducing their impacts on human health and safety, the natural environment, and our local economy. |
Climate Ready Missoula is a partnership. Missoula County, the City of Missoula, and Climate Smart Missoula developed the plan over the course of 2 years, engaging with hundreds of Missoulians in stakeholder workshops, online surveys, and public meetings. Now, our implementation team works closely with community partners and working groups to prioritize equitable climate solutions, develop community resources, and pursue funding opportunities.
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Climate Ready Missoula is an adaptation plan. |
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*The plan is currently undergoing a 5-year review. The review team are assessing progress on strategies, current climate science, and the ways in which an update might be beneficial to the community.
This plan focuses on adapting Missoula County to the effects of climate change. We have developed 29 goals and 77 actions across multiple sectors, including agriculture, buildings and land use, transportation, business and recreation, tourism, ecosystems, emergency response, energy, water, heat, wildfire smoke, with an emphasis on health and equity. It was adopted in 2020 as an issue plan of the Missoula County Growth Policy and the City's Our Missoula: 2035 growth policy.
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Efforts to address climate change fall into two main categories. Mitigation refers to reducing the carbon pollution that is changing our climate. Adaptation refers to addressing the impacts of climate change that we are already experiencing and preparing for the projected changes to come. Mitigation addresses the problem at its root, while adaptation addresses its effects. |
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
We developed 12 principles to guide the process of prioritizing and implementing the climate adaptation goals and actions in Climate Ready Missoula. While all of these principles should be considered with respect to each goal and action, we recognize that in some cases there will be tradeoffs among the principles.
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1. collaborate and think holistically
Climate change touches all aspects of our lives, requiring us to collaborate in new ways, to work across sectors and silos, and to think beyond our geographic boundaries. 2. prioritize equity
Adaptation actions should not increase inequity. Prioritize actions that build resilience while focusing on underrepresented and vulnerable groups and increasing equity. 3. ACT WITH, NOT FOR
Maximize transparency and inclusivity in planning and implementation. Empower people with knowledge and tools to participate and take ownership of climate resiliency actions. 4. draw on tradition and culture
Honor cultural values and draw on traditional ecological knowledge through collaborative partnerships. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are key partners, especially given that Missoula County falls within the ancestral homelands of these tribes. 5. use science
Make decisions based on the best available science while explicitly considering uncertainty. 6. value natural processes
Learn from nature and protect and restore naturally resilient ecological processes. |
7. don't exacerbate the problem
Adaptation actions should avoid increasing our contribution to climate change or undermining the ability of other sectors or regions to adapt. Prioritize actions that reduce our contribution to climate change while building resilience. 8. build on past work
Recognize, value, and integrate prior and ongoing work. Don’t reinvent the wheel. 9. BALANCE IMMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM NEEDS
When prioritizing actions, select a combination of easy, quick wins and critical but challenging longer-term initiatives. 10. CONSIDER COSTS AND BENEFITS
Adaptation actions should be evaluated by considering their long-term costs and benefits alongside the costs of not taking action. 11. FOCUS ON PREVENTION
When possible, prioritize actions aimed at avoiding problems rather than addressing them after they occur. 12. innovate and adapt
Monitor and evaluate actions to learn what’s actually working. Experiment with emerging solutions, be creative, maintain flexibility as conditions change, and build capacity to respond to the unexpected. |
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Learn more about how we're mitigating climate change.Adaptation is just one piece of the puzzle of being climate ready. Given that our climate is already changing, both mitigation and adaptation are essential and urgent. Neither is sufficient on its own. Learn more about resilience, adaptation, mitigation, and our work to reduce emissions by clicking the button below.
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