Climate Action Plan and Other Reports

A variety of reports and planning documents contain important information about the Town of Winchester's efforts to address climate change. The most important documents are linked to below.

Town of Winchester 2020 Climate Action Plan. The 2020 CAP summarizes Winchester's 2017 greenhouse gas emissions, the Town's overall strategy to reduce carbon pollution 80% by 2050, and includes 49 specific measures to reduce carbon pollution and 9 specific measures to enhance our community's resilience to the impacts of climate change.

Town of Winchester Greenhouse Gas Inventory. This Excel spreadsheet contains multiple tabs with data representing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from all sectors - electricity consumption, heating fuel use, transportation fuel use, and solid waste disposal. This is a technical document and not very user-friendly, except for the "Figures" tab, which contains charts and graphs that are fairly easy to understand.

Town of Winchester 2020 Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Plan. Winchester's 2020 Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Plan identified a series of climate change-related vulnerabilities increasingly facing the Town in the future: flooding, drought, extreme rainstorms, and heat waves. The Plan also identifies a series of recommendations to help the Town prepare for, and become more resilient to, the identified vulnerabilities.

Winchester Master Plan Action Plan Adopted March 24, 2020. Winchester's 2030 Master Plan is a ten-year planning document that is designed to provide a basis for decision-making regarding long-term physical development of the town. The Plan includes an "Ensuring Sustainability" chapter starting on page 68 containing several measures that are consistent with Winchester's 2020 Climate Action Plan.

Town of Winchester 2021 Heat Statement. The Select Board endorsed a Heat Statement at its April 12, 2021 meeting. The Heat Statement was written to help the Town prepare for a future with increasingly severe heat waves caused by climate change. The Heat Statement includes 18 suggestions to improve heat preparedness.

Town of Winchester 2022 Heat Response Strategy. The Heat Response Strategy was written to help Winchester prepare for a future with more frequent and intense heat waves. The strategy was written in collaboration with Jenks Center, Council on Aging, Health Department, Climate Action Advisory Committee and other stakeholders. Identified strategies include educational outreach to vulnerable residents, the designation of official cooling centers, assistance to lower income residents to acquire air conditioners, the preservation of Winchester's tree canopy and more.