The City of Lincoln has released its Climate Action Plan Progress Report, providing an update on the ambitious six-year plan initiated in 2021. With one year remaining, the city reports that 76% of the outlined goals are either completed or underway.
The Climate Action Plan, approved by Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, set forth 118 objectives to be achieved by 2027. These initiatives aim to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 while enhancing the city’s resilience against climate change.
“So this Earth Day, we are celebrating the cleaner air, the better transportation, the expanded local food system, the resilient infrastructure, sustainable growth and economic opportunity all made possible through the bold vision of our Climate Action Plan and the strong community partnerships that are bringing it to life,” stated Mayor Gaylor Baird.
The progress report emphasizes eight core focus areas:
- Powering Lincoln with cleaner energy
- Moving Lincoln with cleaner transportation
- Preparing Lincoln for floods, heat, and drought
- Growing food closer to home
- Creating a climate-smart economy
- Expanding a greener Lincoln
- Transforming waste into opportunities
- Collaborating for a resilient future
Mayor Gaylor Baird highlighted the necessity of these initiatives, emphasizing the city’s need to adapt to more unpredictable weather patterns. “And for those who would say, well, the climate has always been changing, of course, that’s true. It’s the accelerated rate of change that’s leading to extreme weather events that are incredibly costly,” she noted.
Eric Hunt, an agricultural meteorologist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, warned that extreme weather events, such as a record-breaking 97-degree March day, will become more frequent. Hunt explained that increasing temperatures are expected, along with more severe precipitation events. “Just fundamentally, because warmer air can hold more water vapor, there is a possibility that we will certainly be able to have more precipitation than normal,” Hunt explained.
In response to rising temperatures, Lincoln and Lancaster County released a heat response plan in May 2025 to manage extreme heat conditions. Hunt stressed the importance of water storage in the soil to mitigate drought and evaporation risks.
The report also highlights the Sustainable Landscapes Cost Share program, which offers grants for waterwise lawn and landscape installations. Over $36,240 in funding has been distributed to help residents implement these sustainable practices.
Additionally, the city has developed a direct connection to the Missouri River as a secondary water source, a crucial move according to Hunt. He stated, “The less reliant we have to be on the Platte River, the better, because I think we’re probably going to see, at least certainly, increased volatility or variability in water levels on the Platte.”
‘Big year of pivoting’: Funding Adjustments for City Projects
Amid changes in federal support, Lincoln sought alternative funding sources for sustainability projects. Kim Morrow, the city’s chief sustainability officer, explained that the city adapted after the federal government, under President Trump’s administration, reduced its partnership in sustainability efforts.
“It was a big year of pivoting, realizing that the federal government wasn’t going to be the partner that they had been previously in terms of our sustainability work,” Morrow commented.
Despite a failed federal grant for electric vehicle chargers, the city collaborated with local partners like Lincoln Public Schools to continue progress. Morrow elaborated, “We actually pivoted to LPS, and because we had this existing partnership with Brittney (Wees, Lincoln Public Schools Sustainability Coordinator) and our other partners who are in the climate smart collaborative and we just started talking about what can we do locally?”
She further explained the city’s strategy: “What can we do with our own budgets? How can we find additional grant money? How can we keep this moving forward? And that’s exactly what we did, and LPS is moving forward on their plan to install EV chargers.”
