The Muncie City Council has adopted the city’s first climate action plan.  As IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports, the plan has been years in the making by a local committee.

The 131-page climate action plan includes steps Muncie can take to lower greenhouse gas emissions and help citizens adjust to the current and future effects of climate change.

Jason Donati is with Resilient Muncie, part of the Muncie Action Plan, which has been working on the plan since 2021.  He says the plan was careful to not be a mandate.  Instead, he said it’s a guide.

“It talks about really basic things, like infrastructure updates, like having a plan for cooling and warming stations for public safety.  These are the basic things that we need to be ready for, no matter what happens.”

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Council members adopted the plan unanimously.  But not everyone in the audience was on board.

Sherri Smith called climate change “garbage.”

“I resent it – being told that I can no longer drive my vehicle because it’s gas-powered.  And this environment is not going to change.”

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Donati said the committee worked hard to make the document politically neutral.

He said the plan includes a community survey, where the most comments suggested updating sidewalks and road infrastructure to make it easier for people to bike and walk to places.

Lorey Stinton with the Delaware-Muncie Metropolitan Plan Commission said the plan also includes a section about education and outreach, to help talk to residents about what any city changes would mean.