Multnomah County Adopts First Climate Justice Plan, Targets Net-Zero by 2050

Multnomah County commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the county's first Climate Justice Plan, a 160-page framework aimed at cutting carbon emissions over the next decade while directing resources toward communities hit hardest by heat waves, wildfire smoke and other extreme weather. The plan sets a goal of reducing county emissions to 50% below 1990 levels by 2030, with a longer-term target of net-zero community greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The vote caps a process that began when a draft was presented to the board and shared publicly in April 2025, according to KOIN. The Office of Sustainability led development of the plan alongside the county health department, and commissioners received an update following a month-long public comment period in September 2025 before final passage. Brendon Haggerty said climate change is “the greatest public health challenge of the century,” resulting in illness and premature death in the community, per the same report.

Frontline Communities Steered the Drafting Process

The plan was shaped by a 13-member steering committee of local advocacy organizations, including APANO, Coalition of Communities of Color, Community Energy Project, Unite Oregon and Verde, according to Multnomah County. Those groups represent frontline populations defined as communities harmed first and worst by climate hazards like extreme heat and wildfire smoke. Marcus Mundy said frontline communities led the plan's development, and the Office of Sustainability hosted 12 community forums focused on the plan's goals, per the koin.com account.

John Wasiutynski said the plan was sharpened through public and board input to maximize accountability and prioritize key areas, and that it works directly with communities most impacted by climate change. Strategies span clean energy, air, water and food access, and include more climate-resilient homes, increased access to air cleaners, and public health education to improve indoor air quality. The plan also includes policy to protect vulnerable communities from nearby pollution sources and works toward drinking water, stormwater and sewer affordability measures.

Union Concerns Reshaped a Key Strategy

Labor groups raised concerns that the clean energy transition could negatively impact their industries, prompting the Office of Sustainability to partner with unions and the BlueGreen Alliance to add a strategy prioritizing skilled and trained workers, according to Multnomah County's announcement. The board also encouraged the sustainability office to continue working with labor groups going forward. That compromise appears to have helped clear the way for a unanimous vote.

Commissioners also approved two amendments before final passage. Meghan Moyer introduced the first, which directs the Office of Sustainability to submit cost estimates to the board for approval before implementing individual strategies. Julia Brim-Edwards introduced the second, which creates an annual board work session at the start of every year to identify prioritized strategies from the plan.

A Sharper Target Than the 2015 Plan

The new framework replaces goals set in Multnomah County and the City of Portland's joint 2015 Climate Action Plan, which targeted a 40% emissions reduction by 2030 and an 80% reduction by 2050 from 1990 baseline levels. The 2026 Climate Justice Plan accelerates that 2050 target to full net-zero community emissions, according to the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. The resolution approving the plan states that fossil-fuel extraction and combustion are primarily responsible for planetary warming accelerating global climate change, and that changes in Oregon's climate are already being felt. Oregon's annual average air temperatures have increased 2.5°F since 1900, and 2025 was the third-hottest year on record in the state, per koin.com.

The county's push for resilience aligns with state mandates already reshaping the electric grid. Under Oregon House Bill 2021, investor-owned utilities serving Multnomah County must cut greenhouse gas emissions 80% below baseline levels by 2030 and reach 100% clean electricity by 2040, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Portland voters have also built a dedicated funding stream for this kind of work: the 2018 passage of Ballot Measure 26-201 created the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund, generating more than $150 million annually for local climate and environmental justice projects through a surcharge on large retailers, per KGW.

Willamette Water Quality and East Portland Heat Islands

Among the plan's specific targets is the harmful algal blooms plaguing the Lower Willamette River. Warm summer temperatures and stagnant water in Ross Island Lagoon have triggered recurring toxic cyanobacteria blooms along an 11-mile stretch of the river, leading to annual public health advisories, according to Multnomah County. County leaders and researchers convened earlier this year to discuss ecological engineering solutions to flush the lagoon.

The plan's emphasis on heat-vulnerable neighborhoods echoes ongoing work in East Portland, where corridors like 82nd Avenue suffer severe urban heat island impacts due to low tree canopy cover. That reality has already prompted a joint $185 million major maintenance and greening initiative planting more than 175 trees and expanding shaded pedestrian pathways, per the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation, work Hoodline has tracked along 82nd Avenue.

A Policy Companion to a $52 Billion Lawsuit

The plan's adoption comes as Multnomah County pursues a separate legal battle against the fossil fuel industry. In June 2023, the county filed a lawsuit seeking nearly $52 billion in damages and abatement funding against 17 major fossil fuel producers, including ExxonMobil, Shell, BP and Chevron, alleging their products and decades of climate deception directly caused the deadly June 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome, according to OPB. The county later expanded that suit in October 2024 to include natural gas provider NW Natural, making it the first gas utility in the country named as a defendant in a climate accountability lawsuit, as Oregon Business reported.

That litigation traces directly back to the deadly 2021 heat dome, when official temperatures in Portland reached an all-time record of 116°F, contributing to 69 heat-related deaths across Multnomah County and 116 across Oregon, according to Street Roots. Together, the newly adopted plan and the ongoing lawsuit signal that county leaders are treating climate justice as both an internal policy commitment and an external fight for financial accountability.