Multnomah County Board Adopts the Climate Justice Plan
September 17, 2026 Advocacy
The Climate Justice Plan was developed over several years, with community members and staff from Multnomah County working together to first design a collaborative process, and then use that process to create a justice-centered plan. It was developed in collaboration with the steering committee made up of members from 13 community-based organizations, serving frontline communities, along with community input from over 15 community meetings, forums surveys, and written comments.
The plan envisions the government and the community working together for a clean and just future. It includes 12 goals to guide the vision of climate justice in Multnomah County and strategies for each goal to achieve them. Progress will be measured using indicators associated with each goal, and will be reported on regularly. While the Board of County Commissioners’ adoption of the plan does not legally obligate the County to act, it publicly commits the County to advance the strategies in the plan as resources and opportunities allow.
The goals are:
Air Quality: Every community member breathes clean and healthy air.
The plan calls for improving indoor air quality by expanding access to air cleaners, supporting community-led air-quality monitoring, and community education.
Clean Energy: Every community member has access to affordable, clean energy.
The plan recommends strategies that support electrification, strengthen programs that reduce energy burdens and disconnections, and expand access to distributed energy resources.
Contribution: Every community member has the opportunity to contribute to climate justice in Multnomah County.
This involves ensuring that plan implementation is accountable, transparent to the community, and supports community-based organizations in climate justice planning and implementation.
Extreme Weather: Every community member is resilient to extreme weather events and other climate threats.
This includes supporting practices that create more climate resilient homes, increasing access to efficient cooling and air cleaners, and improving community access to emergency preparedness networks.
Food: Every community member has access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally-specific food and food practices.
The plan recommends expanding equitable participation and access to community gardens and farms, and reducing exposure to pesticides and other harmful chemicals.
Fossil Fuels: Every community member is safe from the risks posed by fossil fuels and energy infrastructure.
This means limiting the growth of the natural gas system and supporting integrated energy planning across electric and gas utilities.
Health: Every community member has access to the resources and underlying conditions that promote health and well-being.
The plan calls for greater climate health education and partnerships with healthcare providers for emerging climate-related health threats.
Housing: Every community member has safe, healthy, and affordable housing.
The County aims to promote home preservation for cost-burdened homeowners and support the health, well-being, and stability of households that rent.
Nature: Every community member is surrounded by and connected to nature, parks, and green infrastructure.
The plan prioritizes investing in park maintenance in communities with the least access to quality green space and tree planting in low-canopy neighborhoods.
Transportation: Every community member has access to affordable, reliable, and safe transit, biking, and pedestrian infrastructure.
Accelerating investment in sidewalks and other publicly accessible pedestrian infrastructure.
Water: Every community member has access to clean water that supports their needs and all living systems.
This includes promoting water pollution prevention programs and increasing access to water bill assistance programs.
Wealth and Jobs: Every community member has access to wealth-building opportunities and green jobs.
The plan recommends removing barriers to renewable energy projects, distributed energy resources, and building clean energy career pathways for communities historically excluded from clean energy and green manufacturing trades.
These 12 goals are meant to guide Multnomah County’s actions through 2030 and beyond. The strategies will be implemented over the next few years, depending on political, community, and budget conditions. As the plan is implemented, County staff will continue to work and meaningfully engage with frontline community members to ensure strategies are effective and remain relevant to the communities most impacted by climate change.
The Climate Justice Plan is intended to serve as the foundation for the County’s and community’s climate justice work. It will remain a living document where strategies can be updated as community needs change and evolve.
Want to learn more? Read Multnomah County’s full Climate Justice Plan here.
