This article is part of Rapid Growth's Voices of Youth series, which features content created by Kent County youth in partnership with Rapid Growth staff mentors, as well as feature stories by adult writers that examine issues of importance to local youth. In this installment, Solange Sifa interviewed a Grand Rapids’ city official on how they plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

Being born from a place that has poor air quality, and coming to the United States, I remember immediately feeling how different the air felt compared to back home in Uganda. Over there, the air quality was not good and data backs this up. 

According to a recent study looking at air quality levels in two Ugandan cities, the average levels in 2024 consistently exceeded the recommended World Health Organization annual guidelines. 

While living in West Michigan, I have realized the important role that decreasing air pollution has in keeping our communities healthy and safe. So, I decided to learn what the community I am a part of, the city of Grand Rapids, is doing to keep our air clean and our neighbors free from environmental pollutants. 

Annabelle Wilkinson is the chief sustainability officer at the city of Grand Rapids and she's in charge of supporting the city in its goal to become carbon neutral by 2050. The city is basing their goal on 2019 data — which shows 2.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents were generated in Grand Rapids. 

If we consider that there are approximately 196,608 residents in Grand Rapids, it would mean that each person emits 12.7 tons of carbon dioxide per year. This is nearly five times the 2.3 tons of CO2 emissions per person recommended by the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The goals and processes are outlined in a draft of the City of Grand Rapids’ Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. 
Courtesy city of Grand RapidsAnnabelle Wilkinson, chief sustainability officer at the city of Grand Rapids
Q&A with Annabelle Wilkinson, Grand Rapids’ chief sustainability officer

Solange Sifa: How does the city of Grand Rapids define sustainability?

Annabelle Wilkinson: Sustainability is one of the six core values that guides all city work. The city defines sustainability as "Making decisions with the goal of achieving long-term net positive benefits that are informed by an understanding of how those decisions will impact climate resiliency and the environment, people and communities, and finances, both today and in the future.” 

Sifa:  What prompted the city to come up with this plan? 

Wilkinson: Essentially, Grand Rapids will see more days over 90°F in the summer and warmer days in the winter. Grand Rapids will also experience more rain and extreme weather events in shorter bursts. This information was used in the City's Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment to understand local vulnerabilities to climate change. The adaptation focused goals, strategies and actions were informed by the data from this assessment and science.

Courtesy city of Grand RapidsSustainability is one of the six core values that guides all city work.

Sifa: Who is going to get this plan started? 

Wilkinson: The city intends to act as a leader in reducing municipal greenhouse gas emissions, advocating for legislative and regulatory changes needed at the state and federal level to achieve our goals, and will move on actions under local control. However, this is a community-wide plan. The first phase of implementation for this grant will be identifying responsible parties for the actions within the plan — both internal city departments and external community partners.

Sifa: The city’s plan calls for reducing 62.8% of gas emissions per capita by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050 or 100% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2019, Grand Rapids generated 2.5 million metric tons of CO2, or about 12.7 tons per person. This amounts to roughly five times the recommended CO2 emissions per person according to the Paris Agreement.

What do these numbers mean and how were they calculated?

Wilkinson: Per capita refers to an average emissions figure per person. The community-wide science-based target is a calculated climate goal in line with the latest climate science that represents a community's fair share of the global ambition necessary to meet the Paris Agreement commitment to keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Community education, involvement and partnerships will be instrumental in achieving the community-wide science-based targets as the city municipal emissions only account for 2.21% of total community greenhouse gas emission.
 
Courtesy city of Grand RapidsNature-Based Solutions chapter event in partnership with C4, Khamai Strategies and LGROW.

Sifa: What are some of the predicted consequences of this plan?

Wilkinson: Newton's third law of motion would indicate that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." That being said, scientists have already provided us with the knowledge of what will happen if we do not move to reduce greenhouse gas  emissions. In order to maintain a safe and healthy environment for all, the city is committed to leading the community as we collectively seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the impacts of climate change. 

Sifa: Why is this plan important and why is the city of Grand Rapids deciding to do this plan? 

Wilkinson: Creating the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan in coordination with the Community Master Plan is a strategy outlined in the city's Strategic Plan to achieve the objective of reducing carbon emissions, support climate adaptation and increase climate resiliency. 

Those that are vulnerable to climate change are people of color, those with medical conditions, the elderly, young children, and people of low income. 

Sifa: A 2021 report from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency demonstrates that one of the reasons Black people are more likely to be vulnerable to climate change is because they are 34% more likely to live in areas that have the highest projected increase in childhood asthma. That number could rise up to 41% if the average global temperature rises to 4 degrees Celsius or 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit above the temperature of pre industrial levels. Scientists predict that if actions are not implemented to address climate change, the earth’s average mean temperatures could rise by 4 degrees Celsius by 2060, according to a report from Potsdam Institute for Climate Change. 

Sifa: Latinos are also more likely than other groups to be impacted by changing weather patterns as they tend to represent a significant proportion of those working in jobs requiring great exposure to the elements like construction or agriculture. Not only that, but they are 43% more likely to live in areas where work hours are likely to be reduced due to extreme weather conditions. 

Courtesy city of Grand RapidsC4 for the Climate Risk & Vulnerability Assessment hosted community focus groups.

How would the plan keep the community’s most vulnerable residents from being as affected by climate change in the city of Grand Rapids?

Wilkinson: The Climate Risk & Vulnerability Assessment the city focused on engaging with focus groups of what would be considered the community's most vulnerable populations. Their feedback helped inform the actions within the plan — focusing on prioritizing actions in Neighborhoods of Focus. 

Sifa: Neighborhoods of Focus are 17 census tracts near the west and south side of Grand Rapids.  The city website states residents in these areas experience the most disparate outcomes in income, educational attainment opportunities, home ownership and wealth accumulation. 

Sifa: Burning gas from vehicles contributed to 18% of all carbon dioxide gases released in Grand Rapids in 2019. According  to a 2024 report from the Environmental Protection Agency, one passenger vehicle can contribute 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. 

Does this plan include getting rid of transportation or creating another means of transportation?  

Wilkinson: The plan does not include creating another means of transportation. The plan encourages active and shared modes of transportation rather than single-occupancy vehicles and encourages low to no emissions vehicles. 

Sifa: Does this plan include planting more trees?

Wilkinson: There is a goal and strategy dedicated to increasing the tree canopy and continuing and expanding tree planting, preservation and maintenance programs, partnerships and incentives. The actions underneath the strategy focus on a mixture of public and private partnerships. 

Sifa: What are the costs involved to implement this plan?

Wilkinson: The Office of Sustainability is working on drafting an RFP (request for proposals) to hire a consultant to analyze the greenhouse gas emissions reduction potential and cost of each action in the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. We hope to have that information by summer 2025. 

Sifa: In the process of drafting the plan, what possible solutions to climate change have Grand Rapids residents offered? 

Wilkinson: Our office is currently analyzing and compiling the feedback and data for the plan over the next few weeks to compile in the reports ‘engagement’ appendix. You can find some initial takeaways on our website. However, the responses we received along with the feedback of key subject matter experts and the created Climate Advisory Teams were the basis for the strategies and actions you see in the plan. 

Sifa: How can Grand Rapids residents participate in the work of this plan? 

Wilkinson: The city has just completed its third and final round of community engagement for the plan. Once the plan is finalized, the Office of Sustainability will be creating educational materials and engaging with community members, organizations, and businesses for how they can participate in the actions laid out in the plan. 

Photo by Tommy AllenRapid Growth youth journalist Solange Sifa speaks with a source.

Solange Sifa is a junior attending Lee High School. She likes learning new things. She’s extremely passionate about health and medicine and hopes to one day go into the medical field.  

Read Solange Sifa’s other reporting at Rapid Growth. 

To learn more about Rapid Growth's Voices of Youth project and read other installments in the series, click here. This series is made possible via underwriting sponsorships from the Steelcase Foundation, Frey Foundation, PNC Foundation, and Kent ISD.