Boise is getting hotter by the year. What is the city doing to limit greenhouse gasses?
If you’re a longtime Boise resident who thinks the city has been warming up over the years, you’re not wrong. We’re not just talking about a few days over the summer getting really hot, but a year-round trend of slightly warming temperatures.
As we approach Earth Day on Monday, April 22, the nonprofit organization Climate Central has compared the average temperature across all 50 states, as well as 241 United States cities, and compared it to the average temperature during the first Earth Day in 1970.
Over 50 years after the first Earth Day, how does Boise’s temperature increase compare to the rest of the country?
As it turns out… not good.
Here’s what to know about Earth Day, Idaho’s rapid sprint toward warmer temperatures, and what Boise is doing to slow things down.
What is Earth Day?
Earth Day was first organized on April 22, 1970, in the aftermath of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill off the coast of California. Roughly 3 million gallons of oil, about 4.5 Olympic swimming pools, spewed through fissures in the ocean floor after an oil well six miles off the southern California coast blew out.
Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin was already concerned about the deteriorating environment when the spill occurred. Following the incident, he partnered with activist Denis Hayes to organize campus teach-ins to educate people about air and water pollution.
The first of those teach-ins ultimately ended up with 20 million people taking to the streets nationwide to speak up against industrial development and rally for better protection of the environment.
Earth Day has only grown since then.
By 1990, Earth Day was global, according to the movement’s website. By the 50th anniversary in 2020, it’s estimated that over 1 billion people worldwide partook in Earth Day actions.
Today, Earth Day organizers estimate that they will work with more than 150,000 partners in over 192 countries as part of their eventual goal to reduce plastic production by 60% by 2040.
Why is Idaho warming?
Earth Day may have been about raising awareness of climate change for the past half decade-plus, but that seemingly hasn’t hampered the warm-up in Boise.
Since 1970, the United States has experienced a 2.6-degree temperature increase, while Idaho is slightly behind the curve, seeing a 2.5-degree increase.
But Boise races past those averages, having warmed up 4.1 degrees on average since 1970.
What does that look like for Boise? Since the National Weather Service began keeping records in 1877, the coldest year was 1985 when the average temperature was 45.9 degrees.
Ranking all of Boise’s coldest years in order, the first year in the 21st century doesn’t arrive until No. 83 when 2013 had an average temperature of 51.8 degrees.
Flipping the script, 11 of the 12 hottest years have occurred in the 21st century — interestingly, the outlier being spot No. 1, when 1934 had an average temperature of 55.9. The heat wave of 1934 brought some of the worst droughts the United States has seen recently and was a significant factor in the Dust Bowl.
If Boise continues on its current trajectory, Climate Central predicts that by 2100, it will have a climate similar to that of the desert southwest, with average summer highs of 100.8 degrees — about 10 degrees hotter than now.
If you want to get involved in activities for the climate this weekend, check out the Earth Day event map, which shows several events happening in the Boise area.
What is Boise doing to improve its climate future?
Boise city officials began collecting data in 2000 to identify which specific climate-related hazards could impact the Treasure Valley. They identified the following issues:
Worsening air quality days
Increasing drought frequency
Hotter summer days
Earlier snow melt
Shifting seasonal water levels
Heavier precipitation days
So, what is the city doing about it?
In short, Boise plans to be carbon neutral by 2050, which means reducing and eliminating all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions through reduction and elimination measures.
The city identified seven climate actions as a focus, with priorities within each focus:
Buildings and Energy
Increase participation in energy efficiency programs within city buildings so efficiency savings match annual energy use estimates by 2030.
Convert all new and existing residential, commercial and institutional buildings to fossil fuel-free heating systems by 2050.
Expand Boise’s geothermal system by five million gallons annually until production volumes reach 355 million.
The city government will run on 100% clean electricity by 2030 and the rest of the city by 2035.
Install 3.5 megawatts of rooftop solar panels annually and install a 500-kilowatt community solar array every five years.
Transportation
Reduce per capita vehicle miles traveled by 1% annually.
Eliminate one driving-alone trip per day per household by 2025.
Transition to 100% electric light-duty vehicles and zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2050.
Encourage the adoption of alternative fuel-saving practices at the Boise Airport.
Consumption and Waste
Enhance and expand waste reduction and diversion programs to decrease the percentage of waste sent to the landfill.
Maintain at least 40% residential waste diversion annually and improve the landfill diversion rate.
Food Systems
Increase affordable and healthy food options across the Treasure Valley.
Leverage city resources to increase the knowledge and use of regenerative agriculture practices.
Natural Environment
Plant 100,000 trees across the city by 2030 and 235,000 saplings in nearby forests by 2030.
Increase restoration efforts in open space reserves.
Increase opportunities for parks and open spaces while still protecting the native habitat and species.
Water
Calculate the city’s current per capita daily water use and set a water reduction goal for residents and city-owned facilities.
Preserve groundwater for drought conditions, secure additional surface and groundwater storage, and invest in recycled water programs.
Implement further water quality and flood control programs to protect water resources.
Innovation and engagement
All future public infrastructure projects will establish climate resilience as a primary design objective.
Raise the community’s climate action knowledge and engagement.
Advocate for local, state and federal actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Boise.
Invest in new technologies to address greenhouse gas emissions that are not technically or economically feasible to mitigate.
