Equity and Engagement in Climate Response

Overview

Conducting outreach and educational programs with the public is a vital component of developing and realizing climate action goals. Outreach programs should engage diverse community groups on the potential hazards from climate change and provide transparency on climate action plans. The public should be engaged early and often throughout the planning process to ensure that goals reflect the needs and priorities of residents.

The impacts of climate change are not and will not be felt equally in communities throughout Washington. People who are already vulnerable typically have access to fewer resources to prepare for and cope with climate-related events and will experience greater impacts. In addition, people and communities that depend on the natural resource economy (agriculture, forestry, tourism/outdoor recreation, and fisheries) are particularly vulnerable to the growing impacts of climate change. 

New in 2023, all local governments planning under the Growth Management Act must include a climate change and resiliency element (climate element) within their comprehensive plans, and some must also include a greenhouse gas emissions mitigation sub-element. These elements must be incorporated into comprehensive plans by the timelines set forth at RCW 36.70A.070(9). Further, agencies are required to give special consideration to achieving environmental justice in goals and policies that amend land use elements to avoid worsening environmental health disparities. See the Washington State Department of Commerce’s (Commerce) webpages on Climate Planning and Climate Planning Guidance (2025) for more details.

Who Is Most Likely to Be Impacted?

The 2018 Fourth National Climate Assessment highlights three frontline communities in the Northwest: tribes and Indigenous peoples, people who are dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods, and low-income populations in urban and rural environments.

The Healthy Environment For All Act (HEAL Act), codified at Chapter 70A.02 RCW, requires certain state agencies to embed environmental justice into how it makes decisions on budgets and funding, including focusing investments to improve environmental health and reduce pollution in overburdened communities. Chapter 70A.02 RCW defines “vulnerable populations” to include without limitation:

1. Racial or ethnic minorities;

2. Low-income populations;

3. Populations disproportionately impacted by environmental harms; and

4. Populations of workers experiencing environmental harms.

Among the “environmental harms” referred to in this definition are (1) pollution that creates vulnerabilities to the impacts of climate change, and (2) adverse health and economic impacts from climate change (see RCW 70A.02.010).

For more information on how funding has been used to develop programs that improve environmental health and reduce pollution in overburdened communities, see the Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) webpage, HEAL Act Dashboards.

The Washington State Department of Health coordinates an Environmental Health Disparities Map, which compares environmental health disparities for communities across the state. The map can assist local governments in identifying overburdened communities by census tract. It displays measures like poverty and cardiovascular disease among residents, and it shows exposure to pollution measures, such as diesel emissions or proximity to hazardous waste sites.

Engaging Frontline Communities

Frontline communities are those that experience the most immediate and worst impacts of climate change. Seeking out and respecting the experience and knowledge of vulnerable communities is a central tenet of environmental justice, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines as the

fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

In the context of climate change, this means involvement in all aspects of climate planning and implementation.

Here are some best practices for outreach to frontline communities.

Build authentic relationships

Trust is built over time, and it takes time to build trust with communities whose experiences with government may not have been positive. When developing an outreach plan, create a foundation for an ongoing relationship, not a one-off transaction designed to extract information and leave.

Once a frontline community has provided input, follow up and show them how their participation has led to tangible results. Community members can also be invited to serve on an advisory or implementation task force.

The Renton Mayor’s Inclusion Task Force and King County's Climate Equity Task Force are strong examples of effective relationship-building with diverse communities.

Design engagement efforts with thought and care

Agencies should design engagement events that are welcoming and do not create additional burdens to attend. When designing an event, consider convenient meeting times and locations, as well as whether offering food, childcare, and/or translation services addresses a barrier that may prevent community members from attending.

Consider co-hosting events with community groups that serve the core audiences your agency is seeking to engage. Offer pop-up booths at community centers, churches, libraries, festivals, and coffee shops to build one-on-one connections. A good strategy is to join events hosted in accessible neighborhood locations where the public will already be. For example, the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan's Public Engagement Strategy (2019) calls for the county to make use of summer fairs and festivals to maximize outreach efforts.

When designing promotional materials, make sure these are also available in all the languages spoken in your communities. Promotional materials should also be written such that they are free of jargon, as not all readers will have expertise in climate-related issues.

For more information and sample engagement plans, see Community Engagement Resources.

Use different types of engagement to meet people where they are

There may be certain populations that cannot access or attend in-person meetings or events. To supplement or replace in-person events, consider using online options such as a web-based engagement platform accessible via a QR code, and provide access to these opportunities in public spaces like transit centers, lobbies of agency buildings (e.g., city hall, county courthouse), and/or libraries. 

More intensive options for one-on-one engagement include phone calls or texts, polling, and door-to-door visits. Postcards/mailings that include a survey (or similar call-to-action) can also be effective but note that including return postage increases the odds the survey will be returned. Including a postcard with a utility bill or similar mailing can decrease costs and reach large numbers of recipients.  

Shoreline’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) provides examples of outreach to a wide range of audiences, from QR codes on public signs in busy areas to door-to-door visits conducted by multilingual high school students.

Pay for people’s time and expertise

Leaders in frontline communities can often reach out and involve community members who would otherwise be left out of the planning process. When your agency consults and partners with these community representatives, recognize that they are bringing their expertise, and acknowledge their contributions in a meaningful way, including paid compensation for advisory committee members or community liaisons. 

Examples of Equity Policies and Community Engagement in Climate Plans

Here are examples of local government climate action plans (CAPs) that specifically include an equity policy and/or community engagement plans and activities:

• Bainbridge Island Climate Action Plan, Section 8 (2020) –  Identifies community outreach goals, challenges, and strategies with an emphasis on resident empowerment and education.
• King County 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan (2025) – A thorough and comprehensive integration of outreach and equity goals into each policy area.
• Methow Valley Climate Action Plan (2021) – Integrates climate action education into local government goals. The Approach to Equity section explains how the planning process defined equity within the context of the Methow Valley and states a commitment to equity and deeply engaged community members. 
• Mercer Island Climate Action Plan (2023) – Identifies actions that advance equity throughout the plan. Also includes equity as part of its implementation considerations.
• Pierce County Sustainability 2030: Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan (2021) – Applied equity-based guiding principles to its strategies and includes a section on education and outreach.
• Spokane Sustainability Action Plan; Implementation and Monitoring (2021) – Includes an equity checklist to ensure benefits are shared across the community without creating unintended consequences for certain geographic areas or communities.
• Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan (2020) – Defines climate equity and shows how the plan addresses multiple facets of equity. It identifies strategies and actions related to housing, transportation, energy, and health. 

Recommended Resources

• Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Climate Change and Environmental Justice: A Snapshot of Jurisdiction Activities (2022) – Provides samples of some state-based initiatives to improve the public health impact in communities disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution.
• Clean Energy Transition Institute Rural and Tribal Community-Defined Decarbonization (2022) – Looks at whether decarbonization strategies and clean energy development can address energy inequities in Washington’s rural and Tribal communities.
• Greenlining Institute A Guidebook on Making Equity Real in Climate Adaptation and Community Resilience Policies and Programs (2019) – Includes recommendations on how to incorporate equity principles into climate adaptation and resilience policies, and a section on meaningful community engagement.
• MRSC
  • Community Engagement Resources
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Local Governments
  • Language Access
• Spark Northwest – Works with communities across the state to develop affordable, locally controlled clean energy projects.
• Urban Sustainability Directors Network Equity – Includes links to all of USDN’s resources related to equity, from reports and tools to case studies at the city, county, and state levels.
• Washington State
  • Climate Action – Offers state-based tools and resources to support environmental justice efforts.
  • Climate Policy Explorer – Includes over 300 model climate measures and planning resources that can enhance policy discussions and help form related goals and policies for local comprehensive plans.
  • Environmental Justice Task Force – Recommends strategies for incorporating environmental justice principles into future state agency actions; Includes links to the group’s final report, recommendations, bylaws, and operating principles.