PHOTO CREDIT: Evan Casey
Task Force
(Left to Right):Dana Kelley, Rafael Smith and Angela Shereekennedy helped gain momentum around a new task force that will focus on climate change and economic equity in Milwaukee.
Update (7/25, 1:00 p.m.): The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors approved the creation of the Joint City-County Task Force on Climate and Economic Opportunity Thursday. Next, both the City and County will appoint members to the task force, which will provide recommendations regarding how to address climate change, while creating jobs in doing so.
"If you look at the state of Wisconsin, as Milwaukee County goes, so goes the state. We are two government entities that are saying that this is important to us," said Milwaukee County Supervisor Supreme Moore Omokunde. "Not only is our environment important to us but also the opportunity to create economic opportunity is important to us as well."
Original Story: Although climate change and economic equity are two separate topics, many city and county leaders see them as one cohesive issue. That’s why the City and County of Milwaukee is moving ahead with the creation of a joint task force to address the two issues as one. The Common Council’s Steering and Rules Committee unanimously approved the creation of the task force Thursday.
The task force, if approved by the Common Council, would make recommendations regarding the ongoing climate crisis, ensure that Milwaukee meets obligations set forth by the Paris Climate Accord, as well as attempt to reduce “racial and economic inequity” through the creation of green jobs in the region. Milwaukee County Supervisor Supreme Moore Omokunde spoke in favor of the task force Thursday.
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“Those who are going to be hit with the effects of climate change are going to be largely those in the African American community, those who have less financial security than others,” said Moore Omokunde. “Also, if we're looking at doing something about preventing climate change, it’s going to create opportunities for long term employment.”
Rafael Smith, a community organizer with Citizen Action, also spoke in favor of the task force Thursday. He said climate change disproportionately impacts people of color on the north side of Milwaukee, adding that climate change and economic inequality go “hand in hand.”
“This is a crisis, on many levels,” he said. “If you look at some of the health rates in the African American community… to me it’s a natural fit. I think the connections are obvious.”
Smith also hopes the task force will help create new jobs in the region. This comes after a 2019 University of Wisconsin report found an unemployment rate of approximately 50% for working-age adults in Milwaukee’s 53206 zip code.
The task force will be comprised of 13 members. After the task force begins, they would have six months to deliver a comprehensive plan to the Common Council and the County Board of Supervisors.
Elizabeth Ward, the conservation programs coordinator for the Sierra Club of Wisconsin, said this is an opportunity for the city and county.
“The climate crisis, despite how bad it is, presents an opportunity to really re-imagine how we want the city to work, how we want transportation to work and making sure the communities who are usually last at the table are at the forefront,” she said after the meeting.
The task force is also charged with “making recommendations on how to reduce community-wide net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45% by the year 2030 and achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner,” according to the legislation.
Next, the Common Council will vote on implementation of the task force. An identical resolution will also be taken up by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors in the future.
