Climate
Local governments must plan for climate change as part of their comprehensive plan. Doing so reduces risks, supports adaptation, and builds a more just, equitable, and resilient region. Climate change is both a threat and opportunity for our region. If we plan for climate change now, we can not only thrive despite its impacts but can also create a more just, equitable, and climate resilient region. The Met Council is committed to helping improve our region's resilience to climate change. We provide tools to local governments to help them understand and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, identify and adapt to climate impacts, and meet the requirements of the Metropolitan Land Planning Act.
- Mitigation: Implement actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions to lower the risks and severity of climate impacts.
- Adaptation: Develop strategies to adjust to current and future climate impacts and strengthen community resilience.
Minimum Requirements
Minimum requirements are the baseline elements every community must include in their comprehensive plan. They ensure consistency and compliance with state law, and alignment with regional policy. These requirements create a foundation that allows local plans to reflect community priorities while supporting regional goals. For more information about minimum requirements, click here.
Using the table
- Filter: by community, policy topic area, or explore new/updated requirements for the 2050 planning cycle.
- Ref No: Each requirement has a unique identifier. Gaps in numbering mean certain regional requirements do not apply to your community.
- Resources: provides tools, guides, and resources to help meet each requirement. Some requirements may appear more than once if multiple resources are available.
Your complete list of minimum requirements can also be downloaded directly from your Community Page.
Climate Toolkit (Coming Soon)
Going Beyond the Minimum Requirements
Meeting the minimum requirements ensures that a comprehensive plan is complete and compliant, but communities that go further can create plans that are truly transformative. By moving beyond the basics, local governments can reflect local priorities, prepare for future challenges, and enhance the unique character of their communities while advancing equity, resilience, and quality of life for all residents. This section offers resources, advice, and best practices to help communities strengthen their plans and set a course toward a more inclusive, sustainable, and vibrant future.
Setting Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets
- While communities are not required to set emissions reduction targets in their plan, setting community-specific targets is a best practice because it provides a mechanism for capturing community ambition and accountability. See the Climate Mitigation Requirement 1 One-Pager (coming soon) to learn more.
- Additional resources on target setting:
- Explanatory Note accompanying the Global Covenant of Mayors Common Reporting Framework – Look to Chapter 6 on Target and Goal Setting
- Framework for Long-Term Deep Carbon Reduction Planning from the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance – Look to Chapter 7 on Setting Goals and Targets
Taking on More Actions
- Include more than one strategy per sector in your plan!
- Check out additional strategies in the Climate Action Toolkit (coming 2026).
- Align your actions with the Minnesota Climate Action Framework.
Prioritize Vulnerable Populations
- Met Council's Equity Considerations dataset and interactive mapping tool provides equity-relevant characteristics about people and place for each of the region's census tracts, and includes Climate and Environment considerations.
- Vulnerable populations including older adults, young, and lower income residents will be impacted by climate change first and worst. Start by planning for the most vulnerable populations in your community. The Georgetown Climate Center's Adaptation Equity Portal offers resources for equity-focused community resilience work.
Address Health Risks of Climate Change
- Consider how your community could prepare for the health vulnerabilities to climate change identified in the Minnesota Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment prepared by the Minnesota Department of Health.
- Consider conducting a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of your existing plan as part of the development of your 2050 plan. One example is: The Ramsey County HIA.
- Extreme heat is a specific health risk that must be addressed in your plan. The urban heat island effect can make temperatures in highly developed areas several degrees higher than in less developed areas and can affect communities by increasing summertime peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and heat-related illness and mortality. Check out the Minnesota Extreme Heat Toolkit from the Minnesota Department of Health for additional information on preparing for and responding to extreme heat.
Find Community-Specific Adaptation Data and Tools
- The Minnesota Climate Mapping and Analysis Tool provides highly localized climate projections across a range of variables out to the end of the century.
- The EPA’s Climate Change Adaptation Resource Center (ARC-X) provides resources including case studies, strategies, and funding opportunities for topics ranging from air quality to ecosystem protection to public health.
Integrate Hazard Mitigation into Planning
- Many local governments have a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved hazard mitigation plan to be eligible for federal disaster mitigation assistance funds. Consider integrating your hazard mitigation plan into your comprehensive plan to help you assess your community’s vulnerabilities and incorporate resiliency into your plans. FEMA’s fact sheet called Integrating Hazard Mitigation into the Comprehensive Plan provides a good starting point.
Enhance Tree Canopy and Green Infrastructure
- Preserving and enhancing tree canopy will be critical for increasing carbon sequestration, improving air quality, reducing local temperatures, and improving mental health. Growing Shade combines local stories with an interactive mapping tool to help communities decide how and where to improve their tree canopy. Map layers allow users to see the intersection between tree canopy, income, race, and other factors in order to prioritize where to plant and maintain trees.
- Offering views of greenery can help reduce stress levels and provide a connection to nature. Explore how to reserve sightlines and views of greenery (e.g., Mississippi River, lakes, bluffs, etc.) from public, residential and commercial buildings.
- Consider expansion and maintenance of vegetated open space and green infrastructure installation to improve water quality and manage stormwater, like the City of Maplewood's Living Streets.
Redevelop Brownfields for Community Benefit
- If approached sensitively, the redevelopment of blighted brownfield areas can transform the local economy and society. The Brownfield Health Indicator Tool, developed by Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Brownfields can provide a best practice template for how to approach challenging redevelopment opportunities.
Evaluate Costs of Climate Change
- The EPA’s Economics of Climate Change has resources on evaluating the costs of climate change.