By Kolby LaMarche

Burlington is at a pivotal moment as climate risks mount, leaders say, with the city facing more extreme heat, heavy rainfall, flooding and shoreline erosion even as it works to cut greenhouse gas emissions. 

Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak’s Climate Advisory Group has released its final report offering 25 recommendations aimed at building a more resilient Burlington while advancing the city’s long-standing mitigation efforts, all while tight financial constraints strains the local government.

Co-facilitated by Grace Oedel, executive director of NOFA-VT, and Jennifer Green, director of sustainability and workforce development at Burlington Electric Department, the advisory group brought together city staff, councilors and community representatives with expertise across multiple fields. 

Members included previously failed council candidates Dan Castrigano, Jason Van Driesche, and Lena Greenberg. Others included Jen Holliday, Ali Kenney, Christopher Miller, Zoe Richards, Sandy Thibault, and city representatives such as Councilor Becca Brown McKnight of Ward 6, Councilor Carter Neubieser of Ward 1.

The group met approximately every three weeks from May to November 2025. They began by reviewing a comprehensive inventory of the city’s existing climate-related work across departments and then settled on seven key sectors for focused recommendations: nature-based solutions, food farm and gardens, water, waste compost and recycling, city planning, buildings, and transportation. 

Burlington has earned praise, and praised itself, for its climate mitigation record. The city achieved 100 percent renewable electricity sourcing, ratified one of the nation’s earliest climate action plans, and has advanced a Net Zero Energy Roadmap. 

Programs run through Burlington Electric Department, including rebates and incentives for heat pumps and electric vehicles, have contributed to measurable reductions in fossil fuel dependence and greenhouse gas emissions in line with state obligations. 

Yet the report makes clear that even successful mitigation does not fully protect the city from the effects of a changing climate, members concluded. 

Increasing heat waves, heavier precipitation events, flooding along the waterfront, and ongoing shoreline erosion are already straining infrastructure and affecting quality of life. 

In response, the advisory group places strong emphasis on adaptation and resilience strategies, arguing that strengthening natural systems is no longer optional but a core necessity.

Nature-based climate solutions receive particular attention as one of the most promising and cost-effective avenues available. 

Drawing on research from the World Bank, The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and peer-reviewed science, the report notes that every dollar invested in natural infrastructure can return multiple dollars in avoided damages and additional benefits such as carbon storage, stormwater filtration, urban cooling, improved air quality, and enhanced mental and physical health. 

Those solutions often rely on local stewardship, volunteer engagement, and community partnerships rather than expensive technological fixes, something city leaders say residents have an appetite for. 

The advisors urged dramatically increased investment in nature-based approaches and recommended making them a central, ongoing element of the city’s climate strategy. Burlington already has a Nature-Based Climate Solutions Plan and an Open Space Protection Plan that outline many ready-to-go, relatively low-cost actions. 

Expanding urban tree canopy, restoring wetlands, creating green corridors, and protecting shoreline areas could deliver resilience while improving daily life for residents. 

Equity forms a foundational consideration throughout the recommendations. The group references the EPA’s definition of environmental justice as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income. 

Advisors acknowledged that their own meetings did not fully reflect the diversity of Burlington’s population and called for greater openness, transparency and inclusion in future climate planning and implementation. No steps were taken to remedy this concern. 

By centering equity, members say, the city can help ensure that those most affected by climate risks, including lower-income residents and historically marginalized communities, have the opportunity to thrive rather than bear disproportionate burdens.

Another major theme is the need for stronger municipal climate governance. The report recommends establishing a clear structure with a shared vision, defined roles and responsibilities across departments, robust monitoring evaluation and reporting systems, and reliable allocation of resources. 

Without such a framework, the advisors warn, climate work risks losing momentum amid competing demands and limited budgets. This governance push is presented as essential for turning recommendations into consistent, measurable progress.

The advisory process explicitly took into account the limited availability of federal, state and local resources. 

Burlington, like many communities, has faced repeated budget pressures in recent years, with shortfalls in the range of millions of dollars addressed through spending efficiencies, position adjustments, and selective new revenue measures. 

Advisors say the recommendations were crafted to be realistic in this environment, favoring cost-effective actions, like using volunteers, that can deliver multiple benefits and align with the city’s ongoing fiscal discipline.

The McNeil Generating Plant, which has been growing a point of climate contention,  features in two dedicated recommendations.

As Vermont’s largest in-state power source, the wood-fired biomass facility has been central to Burlington’s ability to claim renewable electricity and maintain grid reliability. 

It supports local jobs and has helped the city meet renewable goals. At the same time, though, McNeil has long drawn criticism over air emissions, impacts on nearby neighborhoods in the Old North End, and questions about whether biomass combustion should fully count toward net-zero emissions accounting.

Recent analyses have examined potential upgrades, including pyrolysis technology that could reduce emissions and improve efficiency, but any significant changes involve technical, financial and inter-utility considerations – something the city seems simply unable to do right now.

In waste, compost and recycling, ideas focus on expanding programs to divert more material from landfills. Water-related proposals address stormwater management, flood resilience and drought preparedness. 

Food, farm and garden efforts aim to strengthen local systems for greater security and reduced transportation emissions. 

City planning and building recommendations call for better integration of climate criteria into codes, zoning and development reviews. 

Transportation proposals emphasized active mobility, public transit enhancements and electric vehicle infrastructure. 

The report concludes with next steps, urging city leadership to integrate the recommendations into budgeting, operations, planning documents and performance tracking. 

Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak has indicated that the group’s input will help shape priorities such as improved heat resilience planning and better systems for monitoring progress. 

The City Council received the document in mid-last month and is likely to discuss it tonight at their meeting.