Reports of accelerating climate change and its impact on the environment and our quality of life are now part of our everyday concerns. Now local nonprofits and businesses, Washington state and its cities are stepping to the forefront of international efforts to reduce our carbon footprint.

By making themselves more attractive places to live, cities can contribute much to mitigate climate change. Tacoma can and should be a leader to act locally to help solve this global challenge.

Tacoma has a unique opportunity to build on the renewal that is already under way, attracting more residents and growing its economy while protecting the local environment.

Being a magnet to attract growth in a compact, connected and coordinated way is the most important thing the city of Tacoma can do to discourage sprawl, which results in longer commute times and removes land from productive farm and forest uses.

We have been honored to work on the Green Ribbon Climate Action Task Force with a group of citizens who care deeply about Tacoma. As we studied the factors contributing to climate change and the methods for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, three realities became clear.

 • Transportation produces more than 50 percent of local greenhouse gases, so changes in this sector provide our greatest opportunity and must be a top priority for fundamental change.

We must focus on how we move people and goods around the region, rather than continuing to rely on wasteful single-occupancy vehicles.

 • Energy generation is the next largest source of local emissions. We must conserve the energy we use in our homes and businesses and develop new, clean energy sources to meet the demands of the future.

 • Where we build, how we build and what we build is key. We must provide the leadership to accept population growth, while increasing the quality of life and attractiveness of living within the urban core.

For 15 months, the Green Ribbon Task Force studied other regions’ climate action plans, evaluated strategies, projected potential reductions and estimated costs. Our proposed plan is a selection of calculated decisions that represent a blueprint for Tacoma to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

But it is more than that. It is also a blueprint to create a more livable community. As a fundamental strategy to curb global warming, the task force suggests the city must invest in and build upon its current gains – the region’s first operating light rail line, the museum district downtown, the University of Washington Tacoma campus and other gains.

As the region grows in the coming decades, expanding populations should be absorbed in areas where infrastructure already exists, rather than duplicating municipal services in unincorporated areas. This is not only a wiser use of tax dollars, but also brings the critical mass together to afford the amenities communities desire to be more livable, such as transportation options, better streets and sidewalks for all types of mobility, and shopping and entertainment options.

Land use planning must drive investment in the downtown core and existing multiple-use centers. Affordable housing will also be an important element so that people can live very close to where they work and entertain their families. With more consumers and taxpayers in a more compact environment, Tacoma will truly become the regional center it has the potential to be.

We can’t emphasize enough that the strategies defined in this action plan are more than steps to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as a city. They are a blueprint to grow our local economy and to make Tacoma more livable and more attractive, while allowing our residents to be healthier and giving them the potential to save significantly on energy costs.

The strategies work together as a portfolio, many dependent upon the next to succeed and maximize their impact on climate and economic development. As a result, the plan is designed to be implemented as a whole, not piecemeal, to gain the most efficiencies and positive results.

To create the best opportunity for success, the task force strongly recommends the city establish an Office of Sustainability to oversee putting these strategies into action. It is important that someone or a small group of people come to work every day with this as their top priority.

Implementing this action plan should rise to the highest levels of city government, because it is truly one of the most important initiatives the city has ever undertaken. Our economic prosperity, our quality of life and our children’s future depends on it.

Joanne Buselmeier is the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce’s finance and administrative manager. Metro Parks Commissioner Ryan Mello is the Pierce County director for the Cascade Land Conservancy. They are co-chairs of the Green Ribbon Climate Action Task Force.