Climate Summit Brings the Brain Trust
County Executive Aisha Braveboy gathered environmental advocates, climate watchdogs, educators and students for the Prince George’s County Climate Leadership Summit. Held at Bowie State University, the Nov. 20 event featured speakers from across the county council, educators from the university level to students, corporate representatives and environmental administrators.
The summit brought together more than 250 government, business, nonprofit, academic, and community leaders to accelerate local action on climate change. The full-day summit focused on advancing the County's Climate Action Implementation Strategy Plan (CAISP)—a comprehensive roadmap to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and strengthen community resilience against the growing impact of climate change.
“Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, and the way we respond will shape the future of Prince George’s County for generations,” said County Executive Aisha N. Braveboy. “This summit is about action and alignment—making sure every sector is part of the solution. Together, we’re ensuring that Prince George’s County not only adapts to climate change but leads with innovation, collaboration, and equity.”
Climate change hits Prince George’s County on a personal level, in the form of flooded basements, houses migrating to flood plains, heat indices threatening the health and safety of residents without air conditioning, and food and energy insecurity.
Prince George’s County has a County Climate Action Implementation Strategy Plan. Its goal is to reduce 2005 emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and strengthen community resilience against the growing impact of climate change, the plan is a work in progress, still containing several holes, contentious areas not yet agreed upon by the Climate Action Commission.
Prince George’s County Public Schools has its own Climate Change Action Plan from where it not only draws its instruction but also lays out its comprehensive plans to reduce its carbon footprint. Many of Prince George’s Schools’ finest students attended the conference, already serving as activists in their own communities.
The event brought together a diverse cross-section of leaders responsible for managing climate change. It was the first summit designed to bolster ongoing projects and bring together new ideas to jump-start progress on a critical issue threatening all of Prince George’s County, Maryland, and the larger world around it.
More to come. Watch this space.
--Maria Fisher
