Climate change can impact the weather in a number of ways, from more severe storms to extreme temperatures and drought.

And, as we see in the Midwest every spring and fall, temperatures can vary wildly in the span of just a day. That’s because Indiana is in the middle of a weather front, a transition zone between two contrasting air masses: warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and cold air from the north.

Related: How is climate change impacting Indiana? 

Like many communities, Bloomington has made combatting climate change a priority. Two commissions, each composed of 12 residents, are working on climate and environmental issues.

Five years ago, the Bloomington City Council created a Climate Action and Resilience Committee. But earlier this month, and at the recommendation of committee chair Matt Flaherty, it was disbanded, after he said it largely had accomplished its original mission of developing an action plan and accountability trackers, such as the city’s climate dashboard.

Read more: City council plans to disband climate committee

But he also said the four-member committee has occasionally stretched council resources thin. Flaherty said those resources would be better spent developing climate policy within those existing city bodies, such as the new Transportation Commission.

Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson said combatting climate change is a priority but acknowledges a climate action plan can also tax city resources.

Read more: Thompson on the city’s climate priorities

But how do we combat climate change?

Gabriel Filipelli, professor of earth sciences and the executive director of the IU Environmental Resilience Institute, said climate change effects can be curbed by reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the point where they can be absorbed by nature. This is called achieving net zero.  

On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss how city policies can combat climate change – and what you can do individually.

Join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to  news@indianapublicmedia.org.  

You can also record your questions and send them in through email. 

Guests

Matt Flaherty, Bloomington City Council Member At-Large, former chair of the Climate Action and Resilience Committee

Jane Kupersmith, Director of Economic & Sustainable Development, City of Bloomington

Gabe Filippelli, Professor of Earth Sciences and Executive Director of the Environmental Resilience Institute, IU Indianapolis School of Science