Are You Scratching the Surface or Moving the Needle?
We’re all guilty of writing the mile-long to-do list and then cherry picking only the easiest things. Or looking at the 37 items and shutting down entirely. The lack of prioritization and the default “laundry list” mean we don’t always accomplish what we really need to.
That’s true for household chores and work tasks. And it also applies to so many climate action plans we’ve seen.
Less is More
Kim recently wrote about this on LinkedIn and given how much we hear about simplicity these days, we wanted to keep the conversation going.
If your Climate Action Plan has 80–150 actions, I can predict what happens:
People implement what’s easy to implement. Not what’s most likely to hit the targets.
It’s not laziness. It’s math + time + governance: When everything is a priority, nothing is.
A better model (especially right now): Start with 5 high-impact actions that are actively moving forward, funded, owned, and measurable—then add the next 5.
I would rather see a community achieve outcomes from 5 actions than “make progress” on 50.
One place to start for prioritization is through a climate action framework. Create and apply a framework based on the GHG and resilience benefits of each action in your plan.
This has been on our mind at KLA for a while, as you can see in this “from the archives” blog post – complete with a video overview -- and here is a sample framework:
Kim followed that LinkedIn post up with another that examines what actually makes something an “action” and not just a “goal.”
Everyone wants to improve building efficiency – it's a key way to reduce emissions. But that’s not an action, as it’s missing key elements that make it something on which you can actually execute: Owner, Budget, Timeline, Metric.
Here's “improve building efficiency” written as an action that you can actually implement for an outcome:
Action: Adopt an Energy Performance Standard for municipal facilities by June 2026 requiring annual benchmarking and setting reduction targets of 5% energy intensity by 2028 for the highest-use buildings.
Owner: City/County Manager’s Office + Facilities
Metrics: % buildings benchmarked; EUI change; annual mtCO₂e
That’s a small shift that can make a big difference, moving you from aspirations to steps a department can take this quarter.
A Blueprint to Act on the Action
We’ve got another tool that you can use to map out a plan for success for your actions: Implementation Blueprints.
For each action, you map out timeframe, partners, funding and other resources, equity considerations, community engagement opportunities and connection to other goals. Taking these steps can help you actually implement a plan, achieve your goals and make good on promises.
Here's an example of an Implementation Blueprint for EVs. You can also check out final plans like All-In Shrewsbury which include these blueprints.
With the climate crisis wreaking havoc in backyards across the country and the federal government taking away the tools and rules we’ve used to fight it, local climate action plans simply have to move forward.
If you check “take the trash out” off your home to-do list but leave (for the 6th week running) “fix leaky faucet,” you’ll survive – but maybe get yelled at. The stakes are much higher for our communities and our planet. It’s time to curb our enthusiasm for the “everything but the kitchen sink” list of actions in our climate and sustainability plans.
Which do you think will help us meet GHG reduction targets on a crunched planetary timeline? Scratching the surface on 50 actions or really digging deep on 5?
Use the approaches and tools we’ve outlined here to really move the needle.