Matters Memo

City of Boulder City Council Agenda Item Meeting Date: November 6, 2025 Agenda Title Climate Action Plan Update

Staff Contact • • •

Jonathan Koehn, Climate Initiatives Director Yael Gichon, Principal Project Manager, Climate Initiatives Kate Galbo, Senior Sustainability Data Analyst, Climate Initiatives

Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to present the updated Climate Action Plan (CAP) to City Council and to seek input on next steps as the city moves toward implementing the plan. The CAP establishes a clear structure organized around three overarching goals, seven action areas and fourteen “Big Moves” to guide Boulder’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, build resilience to local climate risks and embed equity throughout the city’s climate work. It also builds upon past plans by more comprehensively presenting how climate action nests within the work of the citywide organization. The CAP lays out the pathway for achieving the Boulder community’s three overarching climate goals: •

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Climate Mitigation: Taking bold, science-based action to reduce climate-causing emissions from local activities and from the goods and materials consumed in Boulder — even when those emissions occur beyond city boundaries. Climate Resilience: Strengthen the community’s ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from climate impacts.

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Climate Equity and Justice: Ensure that the benefits and burdens of climate action are shared fairly, addressing systemic inequities and prioritizing those most affected by climate change.

City Council identified an update to the CAP as a council priority during its 2024 council retreat. The CAP builds on Boulder’s long-standing commitment to science-based mitigation goals, reaffirming the need to drive emissions reductions in line with global climate targets. At the same time, it responds to the growing urgency of local climate impacts—from wildfire and extreme heat to flooding and drought—by elevating resilience and equity as core pillars of climate action. The next iteration of the CAP outlines Boulder’s 10-year roadmap to reduce GHG emissions, strengthen community resilience and ensure that all community members share in the benefits of climate action. Grounded in climate justice, it reflects input from communities most affected by climate change and identifies the key actions needed to meet community goals for carbon reduction, climate resilience and equity. It serves as a roadmap to 2035, with a 2030 milestone to measure progress and make adjustments as needed. Staff anticipate one or more updates before 2035 to reflect new science, community priorities and lessons learned. Development of the CAP builds on years of community engagement, as well as recent dedicated engagement that centered climate equity and justice. Staff used the city’s Rapid Response Equity Assessment and worked with Community Connectors-inResidence, the Youth Opportunities Advisory Board and community-based organizations to ensure that the CAP’s goals and strategies reflect the lived experiences and priorities of those most affected by climate change. These engagements highlighted needs and opportunities as the city supports frontline communities in a just transition towards more climate-friendly practices. Following this council meeting, staff will finalize the CAP and prepare it for design and launch, expected in early 2026. Concurrently, staff will launch a second phase of community engagement focused on implementation and shared momentum, translating the CAP’s Big Moves into specific actions and partnerships that will guide progress toward Boulder’s 2035 goals.

Questions for Council 1. Does council have any questions regarding the content of the update to the CAP? 2. Does council support staff’s proposed next steps for finalizing the CAP?

Alignment with City Plans and City Council History Sustainability, Equity, and Resilience (SER) Framework and Citywide Strategic Plan Alignment SER Framework Goal Area Environmentally Sustainable Citywide Strategic Plan 11b. Update the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan and other city planning documents to minimize environmental impacts, support biodiversity conservation, reduce emissions and increase community resilience. Staff Notes The CAP advances the Citywide Strategic Plan priority by aligning city and community decisions with Boulder’s three overarching climate goals: reducing emissions, strengthening community resilience and advancing equity and justice. Together, these goals provide a coordinated framework for action across the city organization and community. The CAP outlines the city’s strategy and actions designed to: 

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Reduce Emissions by accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels through building and transportation electrification, expanded access to renewable and zero-emission energy and other systemic shifts that cut GHG emissions. Increase Community Resilience by integrating local climate-risk data (wildfire, extreme heat, drought and flooding) and mapping resilience actions across departments, so that key strategies (such as wildfire-resistant landscapes, cooling interventions, reliable energy during emergencies and natural infrastructure) are organized under a common framework. Minimize Environmental Impacts by charting pathways to reduce local and consumption-related emissions while promoting resource efficiency and reductions in waste and pollution that affect land, air and water. Support Biodiversity Conservation by elevating nature-based climate solutions that protect and enhance local ecosystems. These include expanding the urban tree canopy, improved soil and water management and promoting pollinatorfriendly, low-pesticide practices that foster biodiversity and resilient ecosystems.

Alignment with Additional City Plans 1. The Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP)

The CAP serves as the roadmap that helps deliver on BVCP goals related to environmental sustainability, land-use efficiency and the conservation of natural systems. The BVCP establishes the city’s vision for a compact, connected urban form, which supports CAP priorities such as reducing vehicle miles traveled, expanding zero-emission transportation and enabling efficient, low-carbon buildings. It also calls for protecting and restoring natural systems and recognizing them as part of essential “natural infrastructure”— a goal advanced in the CAP through nature-based climate solutions such as tree canopy expansion, soil and water stewardship, and ecosystem-based approaches to reducing heat, flood and wildfire risk. 2. Department plans As part of this update, staff partnered with Utilities, Transportation and Mobility, Housing and Human Services, Parks and Recreation, Planning and Development Services and Open Space and Mountain Parks to map existing resilience-related actions. This mapping catalogs work addressing wildfire, heat, drought, flooding and air quality. It represents an important first step toward unifying the city’s climate resilience efforts under a shared framework. Continued collaboration will be needed to coordinate overlapping priorities and ensure actions collectively strengthen resilience and reduce climate risks.

City Council History City Council has received regular CAP updates to review strategies, refresh goals and track progress toward community climate and resilience objectives. These updates help ensure the plan remains responsive to emerging science, evolving community priorities and changing local and global conditions while maintaining transparency and accountability in Boulder’s climate action efforts. In 2021, council supported an updated climate action framework (presented in this 2021 memo to council) which prioritized strategies to address the root causes of climate change, dismantle the systems that uphold the fossil fuel economy and have greater impact — on a scale larger than just one city. Council formally adopted more aggressive emissions reduction targets for the community on Oct. 26, 2021. In December 2024, the updated CAP was presented to council as a Matters item. The 2024 memo to council presented the overall approach and timeline for the plan update, introduced the new resilience and equity goals and shared enhanced local climate-risk data to guide the development of strategies.

This November 2025 agenda item presents the culmination of staff’s efforts over the past year to integrate council and community feedback into this new CAP that will now serve as the guide for the city’s efforts in the coming years and to outline the next phase of our community engagement efforts as we begin implementation of this plan.

Analysis This section provides historical and analytical context for the CAP, summarizing how Boulder’s approach to climate action has evolved over time, the progress achieved to date and the key shifts that define the city’s next phase of work.

Evolution of Boulder’s CAP Boulder’s CAP has evolved over the past two decades, adapting to new science, emerging technologies and community priorities. Each iteration has built upon the last, refining the city’s approach from early emissions reduction efforts toward a more integrated, justice-centered framework that addresses the full spectrum of climate impacts. Year

Milestone / Event

2002

Kyoto Resolution

2006

Climate Tax Authorized

2007

CAP Implementation Begins

2015

Climate Tax Extension

2019

Climate Emergency Declaration

2021

CAP Refresh and Framework Update

Description / Significance City Council passes the Kyoto Resolution (Resolution 906), committing the community to reduce GHG emissions to 7% below 1990 levels by 2012. This establishes an early target and sets the foundation for Boulder’s climate action work. Voters approve Ballot Issue 202 (November 2006), authorizing an excise tax on electricity to fund the Climate Action Plan (CAP). This launches a dedicated funding mechanism — the first of its kind in the U.S. municipal context. CAP programs are officially launched (following tax implementation on April 1, 2007), enabling the city to begin directed investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and transportation initiatives. Marks the transition from planning to implementation. Voters approve an extension of the Climate Tax (November 2015) through 2020, maintaining funding stability for CAP programs. City declares a Climate Emergency (July 2019) and increases ambition to align with science-based targets. Signals heightened urgency and the next phase of Boulder’s climate action. The city releases an updated CAP (or major refresh) aligning with new emissions reduction targets and a refined implementation framework. Reflects adaptive

2022

Updated Climate Tax and Targets

2024– Current CAP 2025 Update

management — refining goals in light of progress, new science, and community priorities. Voters approve an updated Climate Tax (via ballot), establishing more aggressive community targets: netzero emissions by 2035 and net-negative by 2040. Represents a major leap in ambition and renewed longterm commitment. The current CAP update is underway and will be released in 2025. It builds on the city’s legacy of leadership to integrate mitigation, resilience, and equity into a unified climate strategy.

Major Progress and Successes Since Boulder’s first CAP in 2006, the city has made measurable progress in reducing emissions, strengthening community resilience and embedding equity across its climate work. What began as a local effort to cut GHG pollution has evolved into a whole-ofgovernment strategy focused on transforming the systems that shape energy, land, materials and society. Over the past two decades, Boulder has reduced community-wide emissions by nearly half, established the nation’s first local carbon tax, pioneered high-performance building codes, advanced nature-based and circular economy initiatives and centered equity and resilience as core pillars of climate action. This evolution reflects both Boulder’s leadership and its responsiveness to science, lived experience and the accelerating pace of climate impacts. According to the City’s most recent GHG emissions inventory update, community-wide emissions have decreased 48% since 2005 and 29% since 2018, reflecting continued progress toward Boulder’s climate goals (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Historical GHG Emissions from 2005 to 2024, with comparisons to 2030 and 2035 targets.

Key Areas of Progress Emissions Reduction: Boulder has achieved a 48% reduction in GHG emissions since 2005 and a 24% reduction since 2018, despite continued growth in population and economic activity. The most recent GHG inventory, finalized in October 2025, shows that the largest remaining emissions sources are building electricity (38%), building natural gas (28%), transportation fuels (24%), and aviation (9%). Key drivers of progress include cleaner electricity supply, continued building electrification, and a 59% drop in transportation emissions since 2018—due largely to decreased vehicle travel locally and increased electric vehicle adoption, which now represent more than 12% of registered vehicles in Boulder. Advancing Systems Change: Boulder’s approach continues to focus on transforming systems rather than relying on individual action. Examples of successes to-date include: 1. Electricity Grid Transformation: Boulder’s sustained advocacy has accelerated Colorado’s transition away from coal, positioning the state for an emissions-free grid by 2040. 2. High-Performing Buildings: Boulder’s pioneering building codes have influenced state and national standards, advancing requirements for net-zero construction and EV infrastructure.

3. Corporate Accountability: The city’s ongoing lawsuit against ExxonMobil and Suncor underscores a broader movement to hold corporations accountable for their role in climate change. 4. Circular Economy Leadership: Policies like the Sustainable Deconstruction Ordinance and the Disposable Bag Fee require 75% diversion of deconstruction materials and helped inspire statewide plastics reform, including the Producer Responsibility program. 5. Nature-based and Regenerative Approaches: Healthy ecosystems are central to Boulder’s climate strategy, offering natural defenses against rising heat, flooding and drought while supporting biodiversity and community well-being. Through its NatureBased Solutions work, Boulder is advancing a regenerative approach that values ecosystems not just for the services they provide to people, but for their intrinsic worth as living systems. Increasing Climate Resilience: Since the 2021 update to the CAP, Boulder has placed enhanced focus on managing local climate impacts and increasing climate resilience. The city is conducting advanced climate risk analyses to deepen understanding of local risks and create a shared foundation for resilience planning across departments. This work includes developing localized climate projections reflecting the latest climate science, advanced modeling for the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, updated heat modeling and mapping to understand heat dynamics across the community and a desertification risk assessment. Climate resilience is now embedded across city programs and services and reflected in the cross-departmental mapping of resilience actions presented to council in December 2024 and described below in What’s New In This Update. Advancing Climate Equity and Justice: Equity has evolved from a guiding principle to an organizing framework for Boulder’s climate action. Building on the equity design principles introduced in the 2021 CAP, early and inclusive engagement, equitable distribution of benefits and burdens, investment in historically excluded communities and accountability to future generations, this update established a dedicated Climate Equity goal. Equity is also reflected in ongoing programs: The Climate Equity Fund supports community-led climate solutions through grants; partnership with Energy Outreach Colorado provides free energy retrofits for income-qualified households; the Healthy and Resilient Mobile Homes Program has administered more than $3.5 million to repair over 260 homes from climate-related damage and the Decarbonize DRCOG collaboration has brought federal resources to electrify homes and businesses across the region, prioritizing low-income and frontline communities. Together, these efforts make equity both a measure of success and a driver of Boulder’s climate outcomes.

What’s New in This Update This updated CAP represents the next phase of Boulder’s climate work, expanding from a focus on emissions mitigation to a more comprehensive, justice-centered and resilience-oriented strategy. It builds directly on the city’s long history of bold climate action and integrates lessons learned from nearly two decades of implementation. The CAP elevates three overarching goals—GHG reduction, community resilience and climate equity and justice—as the foundation for all climate work, reflecting the understanding that mitigation alone cannot achieve lasting climate solutions. The 2035 Plan articulates a roadmap for the next decade to reduce GHG emissions, build resilience to climate impacts and ensure that the benefits of climate action are shared by all. Grounded in climate justice, the Plan reflects the voices of communities most affected by climate change and charts a path toward a healthier, more inclusive and sustainable future. This CAP reflects several key evolutions: 1. Integration of Climate-Risk Data The updated CAP incorporates downscaled local projections for wildfire, heat, drought, flooding and air quality (based on RCP 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios) to guide priorities, metrics and investments across departments. Integrating this data ensures that Boulder’s strategies are informed by the latest climate science and focused on reducing risk in the most vulnerable areas. 2. Elevation of Equity and Resilience Alongside Mitigation The plan elevates resilience and equity as goals that stand alongside emissions reduction, recognizing that effective climate action must address vulnerability, preparedness and justice, not just mitigation. This approach reaffirms Boulder’s long-standing commitment to science-based mitigation targets while ensuring that climate work also strengthens social and economic resilience for those most affected. 3. Establishment of a Whole-of-Government Framework The CAP serves as a unifying framework that aligns citywide actions under one cohesive climate strategy, connecting mitigation, adaptation and equity. It coordinates work across all departments, informed by a cross-departmental mapping of resilience actions that identified existing efforts to address climate-related risks and opportunities to strengthen collaboration and shared accountability. Please see the Community Resilience action area section in the draft CAP (Attachment A) for the output of this cross-department mapping. 4. Inclusion of Compact Land Use as a Guiding Principle

Land use has far-ranging impacts on carbon emissions from mobility, housing and consumption to climate resilience, sequestration and biodiversity. Compact land use and sustainable transportation are critical tools for achieving Boulder’s climate goals and meeting Boulder’s ambitious emission reduction targets. The updated CAP acknowledges and promotes existing and future strategies that promote walkability, transit access and resource conservation. It also emphasizes the importance of leveraging natural areas and green infrastructure to mitigate heat island effects and increase climate resilience. 5. Continuation of a Systems-Scale Change Approach The CAP builds on Boulder’s systems change orientation by advancing progress through policy reform, market transformation, technological innovation and social and cultural shifts, including regional collaboration. 6. Enhanced Accountability and Clarity in Structure The CAP is structured to be clear, actionable and measurable. It includes: •

Three Overarching Goals that set the long-term community-wide direction for climate action. They reflect Boulder’s long-standing commitment to reducing more than our fair share of emissions, the need to strengthen community resilience and preparedness to local climate risks and the importance of ensuring equitable access to the benefits of climate action while reducing burdens on those most impacted.

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Seven Action Areas that organize the plan around the major systems and sectors that shape both emissions and local vulnerability. They define where the city and partners must concentrate efforts to make the greatest impact.

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Fourteen Big Moves that describe the key transformations needed in each action area. Each Big Move represents a systemic change that will enable Boulder to meet its climate goals.

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Guiding Principles that guide all action across all action areas and Big Moves, ensuring they address systemic change, community well-being and ecological regeneration.

7. Streamlined Design and Communication The CAP will be delivered as a highly visual and accessible document designed to communicate Boulder’s climate progress clearly and engagingly to the community. The design will emphasize readability and connection between data, stories and outcomes. 8. Integration of Community Engagement Feedback The CAP builds on decades of community engagement in Boulder’s climate work as well as new, targeted outreach conducted specifically for this update. A summary of

engagement themes and how they were integrated into the Plan is provided in the Engagement section.

Anticipated Fiscal and Workplan Impacts This plan is informed by and aligned with several other city initiatives that address emissions reduction, climate resilience, mobility and public health. It serves to connect and strengthen these efforts by addressing gaps between plans, aligning timelines and adding specificity around implementation while measuring progress across sectors, ensuring all of Boulder’s plans work in coordination to advance our shared climate goals. No significant additional impacts to the city budget are expected as a result of this project. The CAP strategies are primarily funded through the voter-approved Climate Action Tax, which provides a dedicated and ongoing revenue source to support implementation of climate mitigation and resilience initiatives. The CAP represents an all-of-government approach, with many priorities and actions embedded across multiple city departments and existing departmental budgets. This integrated structure allows the city to leverage existing resources, align work programs and coordinate efforts to advance climate goals efficiently. Staff will continue to monitor program costs and revenues to ensure that resources remain aligned with CAP priorities and that implementation is fiscally sustainable. Fund(s): Climate Tax. Department(s): Climate Initiatives. Program(s): Multiple.

Item

FY 2025 Budget

FY 2025 Estimated Impact

FY 2025 Net Change

Beginning Fund Balance

$4.1M

$4.1M

Total Forecasted Revenue

$8.1M

$0

$8.1M

Total Estimated Expenses

$9.6M

$0

$9.6M

Ending Fund Balance(s) After Reserves

$1.4M

$1.4M

FTE

18.3 FTE

18.3 FTE

Three-Year Estimated Fiscal Impact

Item

FY 2025

FY 2026

FY 2027

Total Forecasted Revenue

$0.0M

$0.0M

$0.0M

Total Estimated Expenses

$0.0M

$0.1M

$0.0M

Net Estimated Impact

$0.0M

$0.1M

$0.0M

Equity Analysis Climate change affects everyone, but it disproportionately burdens the most vulnerable and underserved communities. At the same time, the benefits and burdens of climate programs are not always distributed equitably. This CAP applies a climate justice lens to ensure a just transition – one that advances clean energy, healthier buildings and green infrastructure while also addresses rent burden, energy insecurity and public health gaps. The goal is to invest in communities, not displace them, by designing policies that build power where it has historically been denied. As Boulder accelerates climate action in the years ahead, we must do so with commitment to justice, repair and inclusion so that every community member benefits from a healthier, more resilient future. To date, our engagement has intentionally centered communities that have historically been excluded from citywide climate action planning. The CAP will identify strategies that deliver the greatest climate justice benefits and develop clear metrics to measure progress in advancing climate justice. Staff used the city’s Rapid Response Equity Assessment to help identify who benefits and who may be burdened by proposed CAP strategies, as well as to anticipate and mitigate potential unintended consequences. The Rapid Response Equity Assessment was selected for the CAP because its broader guiding questions are better suited to

evaluating a high-level plan rather than a specific budget decision or policy. The results from this assessment are included in Attachment B. A team of staff worked through the four guiding questions for each CAP action area: 1. Who is or will experience benefits? 2. Who is or will be negatively impacted? 3. What unintended consequences have been seen to date? 4. What might be anticipated with the changes we are exploring, and what strategies might mitigate or avoid unintended consequences? The assessment generated detailed feedback across all four guiding questions. From this work, staff identified a set of common priorities that cut across the CAP’s action areas:  

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Expanding education and communication to counter misinformation and make climate action more visible and accessible. Advancing two-way translation and learning, ensuring the city makes programs and information understandable for all while drawing on community knowledge systems and lived experiences. Simplifying systems and processes so that requirements, incentives, and resources are easier to navigate. Centering community-led initiatives in program design and decision-making. Supporting equity-focused contractors and small businesses through targeted opportunities and capacity-building. Investing in workforce development and green jobs, with clear pathways connecting training to employment across sectors. Providing practical supports—including technical assistance, rebates, fee waivers, workforce training, phased rollouts of new requirements, and “early-win” actions—to help households, businesses, and community organizations participate in and benefit from CAP strategies.

Staff shared the equity assessment with Community Connectors-in-Residence (CCiR) to ground-truth findings and gather additional lived-experience insights. Their feedback provided both validation and important challenges, which are documented in the Phase 1 engagement results in the Community Engagement section below. Feedback and outcomes from both the assessment and CCiR emphasize that equity cannot be limited to broad goals and principles, it must be reflected in the practical design and roll-out of programs. These priorities will be woven into the implementation of the CAP and will be referred to when designing programs and policies. It underscores the need for ongoing community engagement during the implementation planning phase

to co-develop solutions and ensure that those most affected by climate change share in the benefits of the CAP and help shape its delivery.

Climate, Resilience, and Sustainability Considerations The CAP integrates mitigation, resilience, and equity-centered sustainability to ensure that Boulder’s climate response both reduces the city’s contribution to global emissions and prepares the community for the growing local impacts of climate change, while also contributing to overall sustainability and community well-being.

Mitigation The CAP continues to advance science-based emissions-reduction targets and focuses on the systems that drive most emissions: • •

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Energy systems and high-performing buildings – accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels through electrification, energy efficiency and clean electricity. Clean mobility – implementing land use and other strategies to cut transportation emissions by reducing vehicle miles traveled and supporting the shift to zeroemission vehicles, transit and micromobility solutions. Circular economy – reducing emissions embedded in materials by prioritizing reuse, deconstruction and low-carbon materials. Natural Climate Solutions – Designing and implementing land management systems across the urban, natural and working lands in and around Boulder in ways that enhance the capacity of these ecosystems to absorb and cycle carbon and minimize CO2 emissions through fire, soil loss or other ecosystem degradation.

These strategies align with state policy and regional market trends, amplifying Boulder’s impact beyond local actions.

Resilience The CAP incorporates local climate-risk data to guide priorities for addressing both acute hazards—including wildfire, extreme heat, flooding, drought and smoke/air-quality events—and chronic stresses such as high energy burdens. Key resilience elements include: • • •

Hardening infrastructure against extreme weather events. Supporting social and economic resilience by reducing energy cost burden and ensuring community members have access to safe and healthy spaces. Mitigating against global supply chain disruption by supporting local food and reuse markets.

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Neighborhood-scale heat mitigation and cooling through expanded tree canopy, green infrastructure, and access to cooling centers. Climate-resilient landscapes and practices paired with technical support, incentives, and outreach to help community members and businesses comply with requirements. Enhanced land stewardship to enhance resilience and mitigate against wildfire risk. City organization able and ready to respond to climate disruptions and disasters. Strong local economy able to adapt to and recover from disruption.

Sustainability The CAP also strengthens Boulder’s long-term environmental health and community well-being by: •

• • •

Enhancing ecosystem health and biodiversity through nature-based climate solutions that enhance the climate extreme buffering provided by our landscapes (shade/cooling, stormwater absorption, reduced risk of fire), increase community participation and implementation of landscape-enhancing practices and reduce or eliminate exposure to toxic chemicals in outdoor spaces. Reducing resource use and waste generation and improving local air and water quality. Creating economic and social co-benefits, including green job opportunities, lower household energy costs and healthier, more comfortable homes. Integrating water management and conservation to improve the city’s ability to withstand drought, reduce demand on limited water supplies and enhance the health of local watersheds.

These co-benefits help ensure that climate action improves overall community wellbeing and contributes to Boulder’s long-term climate goals.

Community Engagement Development of the CAP builds on years of community engagement, as well as recent dedicated engagement that centered climate equity and justice.

Phase 1: Centering Equity in Boulder’s Climate Action Plan Meaningful community engagement has been central to shaping the plan. The city prioritized listening to community voices, understanding their perspectives, and working

alongside trusted partners to ensure that climate strategies reflect the diverse needs of Boulder’s neighborhoods. This engagement established a baseline for public awareness of Boulder’s climate initiatives, highlighted community concerns and priorities, identified common barriers to participating in climate-friendly programs and behaviors, and informed preferred methods of engagement between the city and community members. Feedback from this process shows that Boulder community members are deeply concerned about climate impacts and strongly support bold, community-driven solutions. Community members emphasized that they want strategies addressing everyday realities like housing stability, access to transit, green space and public health – not just technical fixes. This input has directly shaped the plan’s priorities and implementation approach, helping ensure the city’s climate actions are equitable, responsive and effective. The first phase of community engagement, focused on centering equity in the CAP update, took place in the second and third quarters of 2025. Please see Attachment B for: 1) Engagement Methods and 2) Engagement Themes Overarching Findings Staff distilled the feedback received into a series of themes that can be found in. Attachment B. The high-level themes are summarized below: 1. Build transparent, accountable, and participatory systems for climate leadership and decision making. 2. Recognize the conventional lens of white privilege. 3. Empower youth and strengthen intergenerational leadership in climate action. 4. Foster a just transition towards system-level change and community-led climate action, especially within frontline communities. 5. Increase affordability and equitable access to the full range of public resources and services. 6. Strengthen local food systems as essential community resilience infrastructure. 7. Protect the rights of nature. 8. Foster connections with nature, belonging, and social resilience. 9. Connect local action to global systems. 10. Align financial and institutional systems with climate and equity goals. Several ideas are tied to the existing city work, either in Climate Initiatives or in another city department. For example, within theme #5, the topic of “Housing instability, food insecurity, water quality, and health disparities as core climate justice issues” ties to the existing planning efforts through the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) update, as well as work led by Utilities and Housing and Human Services. In Climate

Initiatives, this issue ensures continued prioritization of resources towards equity in the CAP and the implementation plan. Additionally, this feedback is creating a greater emphasis in the CAP on Climate Justice as a distinct issue from Climate Equity. In this assessment, Climate Justice refers to moving beyond access and fairness to addressing legacies of exclusion and the structural barriers that limit full participation in, and benefit from, climate solutions; for example, barriers that prevent households from benefiting from home energy upgrades, accessing cooling during extreme heat events, or participating in decision-making processes that shape their community. To respond to theme #1, “Build transparent, accountable, and participatory systems for climate leadership and decision making”, staff added emphasis in the CAP’s Climate Equity and Justice action area to direct ongoing consultation and engagement with frontline communities to minimize undue burdens and maximize benefits. This commitment will be an ongoing focus in the implementation of the CAP as staff continue to create opportunities for conversations that are inclusive, collaborative and responsive to community needs. The topic of “strengthening local food systems” (theme #6) has come up repeatedly in multiple engagements. While addressing local food systems appears across the city organization, there is not a centralized structure that addresses the entire scope of local food systems -- from land access to financing to resources to processing to distribution to storage. This is a complex issue that crosses many city departments and organizations outside the city. This topic requires more research on relevant models that exist, such as food policy councils and how these structures could best be supported in the city and region. It will be important to clarify what the roles of different departments would be in such an analysis, along with how the results will be integrated into the city organization’s focus and workplans. These are just a few examples of many topics that were shared with staff and the corresponding responses. See Attachment B for the complete list.

Phase 2: Implementation Plan Building on the equity-centered engagement in Phase 1, the second phase will shift attention to implementation of the CAP, seeking community perspectives on the feasibility of proposed strategies, priorities for action and the types of support and collaboration needed for successful delivery. This engagement aims to prompt ongoing dialogue and community discussion to shape and evolve the city’s approach to implementing the CAP. Several of the themes from Phase 1 will be areas of focus in Phase 2 as staff implement the specific strategies that lead to programs, policies, and services in the community.

Staff plans to continue to engage with community as things are developed to ensure the equity and justice goals in the CAP are met.

Phase 3: Communications Campaign The communications campaign, launching alongside the CAP in early 2026, will build public awareness, trust and participation around Boulder’s updated CAP. Our goal is to make the plan’s vision of creating a healthy, equitable, climate-resilient community accessible and actionable for everyone. Communications will emphasize that climate action is both a shared responsibility and an opportunity to strengthen quality of life in Boulder. This communication campaign intends to: • Clearly convey the purpose, goals and “Big Moves” of the CAP. • Celebrate Boulder’s progress and leadership while acknowledging the urgency of continued action. • Provide clear pathways for community members, businesses and partners to participate in local climate solutions. • Foster a sense of collective ownership through storytelling • Begin socializing progress metrics by which the community can track progress and impact of these actions. Audiences The primary audiences include: • Community Members • Business, Schools and Institutional Partners • Regional and State Partners — neighboring municipalities, non-profits, program partners and others supporting cross-jurisdictional work. • City Staff and Leadership — ensuring alignment across departments and consistent messaging. Messaging will be inclusive and accessible, using plain language and visuals to explain complex ideas like systems change, equity and resilience. Communications Plan The communications rollout will accompany the release of the CAP and extend over several months to maintain engagement. Core components include: 1. Launch and Announcement  Press release and web feature on the city’s climate webpage.  Featured article in the Climate Initiatives Newsletter 1. Possible dissemination in other departmental newsletters (OSMP, Parks, etc.)

 Social media campaign introducing the plan’s themes, goals and “Big Moves.” 1. Featuring the highlighted ‘Community Voices’ 2. Storytelling and Engagement  Short videos and social features spotlighting local stories tied to each Big Move 1. Featuring the Children’s story inspired by the CAP, “The Little City that Could”  Interactive webpage summarizing key data/dashboards, visuals and calls to action.  Community events and presentations linking the CAP to ongoing projects and neighborhood-scale action. 1. School events and student participation featuring “The Little City that Could” Tone and Approach The tone will mirror the plan itself: optimistic, inclusive and grounded in action. Communications will connect the technical with the tangible, showing how the CAP’s strategies translate into healthier homes, safer streets, thriving ecosystems and a resilient community for all.

Next Steps for City Council Amendment to Adopted Goals Staff will return with an amended resolution in the 1st quarter of 2026 to reaffirm council’s commitment to existing climate goals and targets and adopt new goals related to resilience and equity: •

•

Climate Resilience: The City of Boulder takes proactive action to prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change, both reducing risk to climate disasters and strengthening the community’s ability to recover and adapt to changing conditions. Climate Equity: The City of Boulder recognizes that the impacts of climate change are not felt equally by all community members. Actions to prepare for and mitigate climate change impacts consider the community’s most vulnerable members and focus on equitably distributing benefits and reducing burdens to those most impacted.

Launch the Updated CAP and Phase 2 Implementation Engagement Staff will finalize and design the CAP Update in the fourth quarter of 2025 and release the plan in early 2026. Concurrently, staff will launch a second phase of engagement focused on implementation of the CAP Update, which will inform the Climate Initiatives Department’s Implementation Plan (or Departmental Strategic Plan).

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Attachments Attachment A: Draft Climate Action Plan Attachment B: Community Engagement Summary and Rapid Response Equity Assessment