City of Lincoln Targets Problems Caused by Climate Change

Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, Thursday, appointed a climate resiliency task force. Rather than arguing about the cause of climate change, however, it will look for ways to protect the city against the effects.

Gaylor Baird said we are already feeling the effects, “severe weather events such as this past spring’s ‘bomb cyclone’ and the largest natural disaster in our state’s history and threatened our city’s water supply. These are no longer hypothetical situations with hypothetical consequences.”

The Mayor said the task force will be assigned to identify vulnerabilities in property and utilities and figure out how to protect people from extreme weather. “We no longer have to work hard to imagine how severe weather events might impact our safety and security, infrastructure, economy, and our quality of life,” stated Gaylor Baird.

Along with identifying vulnerabilities, the task force will be charged with finding ways to protect from the ongoing changes in the climate. “Here in Lincoln we are experiencing heavier downpours, hotter summers, and more extreme storms,” said the Mayor. “We can’t change the fact that these weather events are going to continue to effect us, but we can change our response to them,” Gaylor Baird added.

The chair of the task force Kim Morrow, made it clear they are going to steer clear of political arguments. “Today marks the day we stop arguing about why climate change is happening, and instead start jointly creating solutions.”