The Vulnerable

On November 17, 2022 the Round Rock city council revealed their 2030 Comprehensive plan. This 200+ page plan outlined where the City Council hoped the city would be by 2030 and the steps it hoped to take to get it there, while the plan did include a section of the environmental feats it had achieved and hoped to achieve it did not include the word “climate,” excluding the use of the word in relation to economics, or any contingencies for more extreme weather caused by climate change due to human actions. This is troubling, especially given the existence of those in the community who are particularly vulnerable to climate and weather.

It may not make sense to some to say that climate or weather can negatively affect some people more than others. Along with other acts of God or Nature, weather would seem as an impartial force that destroys equally. To an extent this may appear true, however, some groups of peoples are more susceptible to the harms of the environment than others. Whether this vulnerability comes from living in less protective housing than others, or simple biological aspects, there are those that are more susceptible to climate change.

The American Public Health Association (ALPHA) put out this list of vulnerable persons and the cause.

1. Children
   1. Breathe more air and drink more water per body weight than adults
   2. Developing Organs and Low Immunity
   3. Dependent on Adults
   4. More time spent outdoors
2. Older Adults
   1. Low Immunity
   2. Pre-existing conditions
   3. Limited mobility
3. Communities of Color
   1. Structural racism
   2. Inadequate infrastructure
   3. Health disparities
   4. Lack of social capital
   5. Language Barrier

An important question to ask is "Who does this affect in Round Rock?" Because without an answer to this there is no point to further study. There can be no benefits for anyone if population is unaffected by climate change at all.

This map shows areas that are more likely to be at risk based on the  National Risk Index data . These are each given a score in a number of fields such as "Heat Wave Risk," "Coastal Flooding Risk," etc. To create this map all the individual scores were taken and averaged into one score per tract.

As stated before, certain populations of people are more likely to experience more hardships because of social standing or social aspects, such as the young and the elderly.  The Center for Disease Control  keeps data available to the public. This map is a visualization of the most socially vulnerable population from the Round Rock Area.

This information also shows that multiple agencies and populations are interested in helping those that are vulnerable to not only social issues but climate change as well.

All the above information was combined into a single map and given a threshold to highlight the most vulnerable populations in the city processed through  Headwater's Economics Neighborhoods at Risk  website. That is 53,880 people contained in those 11 tracts, roughly 43% of the 123,876; that's a lot of constituents. These Results matter.

About two-thirds of U.S. adults (67%) say the federal government is doing too little to reduce the effects of climate change, and similar shares say the same about government efforts to protect air (67%) and water quality (68%) – findings that are consistent with results from a 2018 Center survey.

 -Pew Research Group 

Yes, that's right. Climate action plans can save cities money in the long run as it reduces energy costs and mitigates the economic impact of climate change. Take for instance the  City of Sacramento's Preliminary Climate Action and Adaption Plan . This plan allocated $4.5 million to fund the implementation of the plan. The plan is expected to save the city money on energy costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase renewable energy use, and improve energy efficiency

The  Center for American Progress  wrote an article outlining nine ways that mayors can build resilient and just cities, including investing in energy efficiency, transitioning to renewable energy sources, and improving public transportation. These actions can reduce costs for cities and residents while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving public health.

There's nothing big city or small town about climate action plans. Cities of all shapes and sizes have created Climate Action Plans. Cities as small as  Amesville , Ohio (pop. 154) all the way to large cities like  Chicago , Il., (pop. 2,756,546) have created plans for how they will handle the future that will inevitably involve climate change. For many of these places 'going green' is a cause of pride. Look no further than Georgetown's, Tx., devotion to go entirely renewable for their energy as a bragging point for the city, a bragging point that with a little work any city can do.

In conclusion, I urge you to act on climate change by creating a city climate action plan. By doing so, we can protect our community, save money, improve health, and improve the overall quality of life in Round Rock.