The City of Greenfield is experiencing greenhouse gas emission levels that are dangerous to human health. Now, young people are ready for more sustainable efforts to be made to preserve their city for the coming generations. As a student of environmental sustainability at Indiana University Bloomington, I write to you all from the perspective of an environmentalist and a young person. I urge you to consider that the city has been experiencing a level of growth that is unsustainable to the health of its constituents and protection of its natural beauty. The air you breath currently is the not same air you were breathing the day you were born. Admittedly, the air is not suffocating you, but it is altering your body due to the level of pollutants being emitted from our regional production. The good news is that we can solve this problem, beginning with the development of climate data and literature crafted specially to Greenfield. Therefore, the city would greatly benefit from the drafting and implementation of a ‘Climate Action Plan’ (CAP) that details ways the city can reduce its carbon footprint.
A hot day in Greenfield is considered to be any day above a “feels like” temperature of 102ºF. Greenfield is expected to experience seven hot days this year. Due to a changing climate, Greenfield will experience 19 days above 102ºF in 30 years (First Street, 1). These levels of heat and the overall upward slope of rising temperatures is a direct result of carbon emissions being released into the atmosphere. The mentioned emissions are a result of greenhouse gasses being emitted by a variety of sectors including, but not limited to, transportation, construction and food waste. But just how many emissions are being released into our city, and what do we do to mitigate the risks to human health? Currently, no one knows. However, this can be rectified by the development of a CAP.
The development of a ‘Climate Action Plan’ would require a greenhouse gas inventory. This study would calculate the amount of greenhouse gasses released into our city, to give citizens a better understanding of air quality and possible pollutants. This data would be broken down by sector to allow for a holistic understanding of emissions. A document of this level would facilitate the implementation of programs to help better reduce the identified emissions. Having these programs created with Greenfield in mind would help reduce these emissions in the most efficient and effective way. The creation of these programs based on the data from this report would lead to a decrease in the number of emissions being released, which would in turn reduce the heat levels being experienced in the city.
The need for these programs cannot be overstated due to the massive amounts harmful emissions currently being emitted. According to the US EPA EJScreen, Hancock County is in the 90% of toxic releases to air. These emissions can be harmful since “exposure to (coming in contact with) air toxins also may cause relatively minor, temporary health effects, including skin irritation, headaches, nausea, eye, nose and throat irritation, difficulty breathing, coughing, behavioral changes, and fatigue” (IDEM, 1). These pollutants are preventable, and the creation of a CAP would allow us to identify and reduce these harmful substances without harming the growing economy of the city.
If our city is going to continue to grow rapidly and attempt to replicate the expansion of cities such as Carmel, Zionsville and Bloomington, we must hold ourselves to the same green standards as those cities. Each of the aforementioned cities, and many others in Indiana, have developed ‘Climate Action Plans’ to help reduce their pollutants and beautify their city. These other cities also will serve as guidelines and references to help facilitate the creation of our CAP. We are not able to sustain the level of growth we have been currently experiencing without a document to outline the ways in which the environment will be protected throughout these bouts of urbanization.
To be sure, the creation of a ‘Climate Action Plan’ would require a specialized effort from the city government. However, do we not rely on our city government to protect us from these harmful pollutants? There is not only a benefit but a need from the development of a CAP. This document would serve as a crucial first step to helping create a city that attracts and retains young people, reduces harmful impacts on the environment, and allows sustainable economic growth. We kindly ask, with the utmost urgency, that our city begins to develop a ‘Climate Action Plan: Greenfield’ document to help protect our community.
Julianne Hatcher
Greenfield
