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Recognizing the devastation caused by the wildfires to the Los Angeles community, the accelerating rate of climate change, and calling on the City of Philadelphia to provide the funding and resources necessary to fully update and implement human-centered climate mitigation and resilience plans.
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WHEREAS, The Eaton and Palisades wildfires in Los Angeles, California, have taken the lives of at least twenty-seven people and forced thousands out of their homes since January 7, 2025; and
WHEREAS, First responders, including hundreds of incarcerated firefighters, have put themselves in harm’s way to protect their communities. Neighbors are opening their homes to those displaced by the destruction, and volunteers are distributing emergency supplies; and
WHEREAS, The effects of climate change, including exceptionally dry, hot, and windy weather, set the stage for the wildfires in Los Angeles to spread quickly across neighborhoods, according to experts from the World Meteorological Organization; and
WHEREAS, The underlying weather conditions that contributed to the wildfires are becoming more common, as 2024 marked the hottest year on record in Philadelphia and across the globe. Climate experts project that temperatures will only continue to rise in the coming years, making the past’s most pessimistic predictions today’s best-case scenario; and
WHEREAS, Rising temperatures will continue to have real impacts on the quality of life for Philadelphia residents. The City’s childhood asthma rates are already far above national levels due to air pollution exacerbated by hot temperatures. Hotter temperatures put individuals who work outdoors at greater risk of suffering from heat-related illnesses; and
WHEREAS, Projections also show that Philadelphia will face more annual rainfall and more extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, cyclones, and tidal flooding. These trends spell out a future with more frequent and severe flooding citywide, bringing to mind memories of water inundating Center City, Eastwick, and so many other parts of the City during Hurricane Ida in 2021; and
WHEREAS, The City’s infrastructure is not prepared for this future. For example, Philadelphia’s 19th-century sewage system was not built to handle the rising sea levels and extreme rainstorms of 2025 and beyond. As a result, civil engineering experts at Drexel University predict that future rainstorms will lead to more frequent sewage overflows in peoples’ basements and on City streets; and
WHEREAS, The impacts of climate change are felt by all Philadelphians, but not equally. Black and Brown, working-class Philadelphians experience extreme heat, flooding, and other dangers wrought by our changing climate with the greatest severity; and
WHEREAS, Despite being denounced by some as “climate extremism,” climate resilience and mitigation efforts have already been shown to be effective investments in the safety and well-being of communities, with studies conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and others suggesting that each dollar spent on climate investments yields between two and ten dollars in return; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has worked to prepare for and address climate change for nearly twenty years, and the Office of Sustainability has continually updated the City’s Climate Action Playbook and Climate Resilience Plan, while also working with departments Citywide to implement climate solutions that address the challenges faced by Philadelphians; and
WHEREAS, While the City’s ongoing work is commendable, the incoming crisis demands unprecedented action and strategic planning. The City’s work to prepare for and address climate change must be expanded and further supported in order to ensure the safety and well-being of communities Citywide into the future; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby recognize the devastation caused by the wildfires to the Los Angeles community, the accelerating rate of climate change, and call on the City of Philadelphia to provide the funding and resources necessary to fully update and implement human-centered climate mitigation and resilience plans.
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