Sustainable Missoula: From air to ecosystems, let’s get climate ready

Our climate is changing, and we’re already experiencing the effects. Hotter, drier, smokier summers. Longer wildfire seasons. Warmer winters and more spring flooding. More variability from one year to the next. These are a few of the changes we can expect in Missoula County in the coming decades, according to locally-specific climate projections.

So how do we prepare? Around the world, communities are stepping up to build local resiliency, and Missoula is, too. We’ve been a part of a core team from Missoula County, the City of Missoula, and Climate Smart Missoula to shepherd Climate Ready Missoula through an 18-month process, and this week we were excited to release the draft plan and take an important step toward a more resilient Missoula County.

By Diana Maneta, Caroline Lauer, Amy Cilimburg and Chase Jones