Becoming a Vibrant, Climate-Friendly City

The need for sustainability in St. Louis is undeniable. Over just a few years, our community has experienced severe flooding and a devastating tornado that changed futures, destroyed dreams and claimed lives. Because of climate change, we are witnessing an uptick in severe weather events like the EF3 tornado that tore through our city on May 16, 2025. While the City and St. Louisans cannot change that on our own, we can do our part. And we can better prepare ourselves for the next disaster and the ongoing harms caused by more extreme weather.

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St. Louis created its first Sustainability Plan in 2013 and has made great strides. The analysis of the first plan found that buildings are the leading contributor to emissions in our city. This spurred the Board of Aldermen to pass the Building Energy Performance Standard in 2020, making St. Louis a leader in the nation for regulating the carbon impact of buildings. I am excited to see this plan build on that, seeking to collaborate with the private sector to further reduce energy use in large commercial buildings by 20%.

Transportation also remains one of the key sources of emissions. The interventions recommended by this plan can both cut emissions and build a city where it’s safer, easier, and more enjoyable to get around. This year alone, construction on several protected bike lanes is underway, including the Brickline Greenway and the Tower Grove Connector. I am committed to continuing these efforts and making St. Louis a modern city where the current barriers to getting around without a car are removed.

While we are building momentum around key issues, we know that much work remains to be done. The effects of climate change have never been more apparent in our community than they are now. In the tornado-impacted area, residents who are already dealing with so much are now also facing years of higher temperatures because much of the tree canopy was destroyed, leaving asphalt and buildings to absorb the heat and cause temperatures to become even more dangerous. This plan’s goal of growing our tree canopy is more relevant than ever.

The Sustainability & Climate Plan lays out ways for us to address the issues I have listed and more, and I look forward to seeing it implemented across our departments. I want to thank the City of St. Louis Sustainability Director Elysia Russell, the Planning & Urban Design Agency, the Planning Commission, and all the staff and community members who helped create this important document. This plan is actionable, and I am excited to see it come to life.