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How it started

In December 2018, a group of over 130 local and state elected leaders, community leaders and stakeholders convened on a Saturday morning at a church to learn about Project Drawdown, local climate protection planning and lessons from a peer city on successful collaborations and planning for climate action.

Building on this energy, Climate Action KC was formed. Together, Climate Action KC and the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) assembled an ambitious work plan, which included developing a playbook of climate strategies for local governments, state legislative platforms for Missouri and Kansas, and the completion of the first regional climate action plan.

In March 2019, the MARC Board of Directors voted to join the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) on behalf of the cities and counties in the region.

By joining as a region, the GCoM membership also provided MARC with an opportunity to apply for a new program to support regional climate action planning. MARC was accepted, along with the Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C., regions, to receive special technical assistance to guide the greenhouse gas inventory, climate risk and vulnerability assessment, and climate action plan.

Guiding Principles

The following principles, drawing from an extensive community and stakeholder engagement process resulting in MARC’s Climate Resilience Strategy (2015), guided the development of this plan and will guide our collective commitment to climate action throughout implementation.

So much of what we need to do, we want to do.

Climate Solutions build stronger, healthier and more vibrant communities.

Resilience builds on previous investments, from trees to transit.

Leadership comes from all of us.

Resilience focuses on solutions that address mitigation and adaptation at the same time.

Solutions must catch up to the scale of the problem, and there is much that we can do to make a big difference.

Do no harm. Doing nothing is harmful. Doing a lot is possible.

Resilience creates economic vitality and environmental health, with an unblinking social equity lens and a commitment to public health.

Complex linkages among sectors and disciplines require an integrated, systems-based and collaborative approach.

In 2050, the Kansas City region is a resilient, equitable and inclusive community thriving amidst the impacts of a changing climate. Regions around the world look to us as a leader in governance, innovation and sustainability. Kindness and compassion guide a prosperous green economy and a healthy natural environment.

Vision Statement