Flagstaff city council members debated a citizen petition Wednesday that requested the city add wildfire, flooding, and drought to the priorities in its Carbon Neutrality Plan.
Councilmembers ultimately accepted the recommendation of city staff to postpone making any changes to the Carbon Neutrality Plan until a scheduled revision next year.
The City adopted the Plan three years ago, setting a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2030. City staff say the plan’s focus is reducing carbon emissions and that fire, flood and drought adaptation are handled in 15 other local plans in partnership with state and federal agencies.
The petition to change the Carbon Neutrality Plan’s priorities was put forth by a group called Flagstaff First. The group’s website calls the plan a “futile effort to change the trajectory of global warming.”
Residents who spoke at the city council work session largely shared concerns about the threats posed by fires and floods, but disagreed on the urgency of reducing carbon emissions.
The Northern Arizona Climate Change Alliance criticized the petition as an attempt to undermine Flagstaff's carbon neutrality goal.
