Residents urge St. Louis County to declare climate emergency and bolster resilience planning

Three residents used the St. Louis County Board of Commissioners’ public comment period to urge the county to declare a climate emergency and to adopt a more robust climate action and resilience program.

Tony Lanzillo, a Duluth resident, opened public comment and asked commissioners to review a climate vulnerability assessment presented to Duluth city officials in February 2018. “I would encourage each of you my simple request today, if you haven't already, to read the climate vulnerability assessment,” Lanzillo said. He summarized figures from that report, saying that from 1950 to 2015 Duluth had experienced a roughly 1.8°F rise in average annual temperature, about eight fewer days below 32°F, and an increase in extreme weather events of roughly 58 percent. He said projections in the assessment included a possible 4°F to 11°F rise in annual average temperatures by 2100, as well as an increase in days above 95°F and fewer freezing days by midcentury.

Lisa, a Lakeside resident who spoke next, described recent and ongoing wildfire activity, changes in winter conditions and perceived shifts in Lake Superior’s water and shoreline conditions. She said the lake sometimes smells “like algae” on walks along the shore and that winters have been less robust in recent years. “I would ask that the county would declare a climate emergency and have a really, really robust climate action plan,” she said.

Cynthia Brown, who spoke after Lisa, told the board she “concurs with the previous speaker” and called the issue important.

A county meeting facilitator responded during the session and offered to connect the speakers with staff working on a grant the facilitator referred to as a “Noah grant” and with county staff managing investments in county buildings and spaces. The facilitator said the county has recently hired someone to help secure funding and to ensure county buildings address climate and resilience needs.

No formal action or vote occurred during the public-comment period; the remarks were recorded as part of the meeting’s public-comment segment and no directive or motion to declare a climate emergency was made on the record at that time. The board paused briefly to allow additional speakers to come forward but moved on after public comment concluded.

Background cited by speakers included a climate vulnerability assessment presented to Duluth in February 2018 that the speakers said projects substantial warming and changes in seasonal conditions by midcentury and 2100. County staff did not provide a timetable or formal next steps for considering an emergency declaration during the session.

Speakers and county staff who offered follow-up said they would connect outside the meeting, and the county facilitator invited the speakers to meet with the staff member working on the referenced grant and building resilience work.