Parks & Environment Subcommittee
DC Office of Planning (OP) and DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) recommend that climate resilience be incorporated in the DC Comprehensive Plan. We commend them for this important forward-looking step. Climate change will cause rising water levels and increased flooding. To add to these challenges, there will be more people living in the city. DC's 2015 population was 672,228, and OP projects population will increase to 987,245 in 2045.[1]
[1]OP, Citywide Community Workshop #6, 3 Nov. 2016. DOEE, "Climate Ready DC: The District of Columbia's Plan to Adapt to a Changing Climate, draft for public comment" 10, 16 (2013). Rising temperatures caused by climate change and effects on other infrastructure such as Metro, communications, Metrorail, and utilities are beyond the scope of this report.