Photo by Adam Fondren/ MT 55
A hauler truck transports coal from the Rosebud mine to the Colstrip power plant in Colstrip.
Missoula readies for climate change, senior citizens vested in outcome KEILA SZPALLER Montana 55
This spring, the Missoula City Council and Board of County Commissioners adopted a plan to address the climate crisis — in the midst of the global COVID-19 crisis. The challenges the crises bring are intertwined, but global warming has been a problem activists with Missoula Elders for a Livable Tomorrow, or
12 Summer 2020
MELT, have been watching for a while. MELT formed out of a University of Montana MOLLI course, of the the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute geared to senior citizens. Roughly seven years ago, students of a sustainability class decided they wanted to keep meeting on the topic, and the group established. The plan, “Climate Ready Missoula: Building Resiliency in Missoula County,” outlines
actions based on guiding principles including the idea to value science, natural processes, and cultural traditions, and to focus on prevention and innovation. Goals cover wildfire, smoke and health; building, land use and transportation; water; agriculture; business, recreation and tourism; energy; and other topics. Harold Hoem, with MELT, said he and his wife, Jan, have been following climate issues
closely for 20 years, and back when they started, it was hard to find any information about climate change. Now, it’s a growing issue and regularly at the fore. “Now, it’s hard to not pick up a paper and not see something about climate change,” Hoem said. “I think for the city to have kept up with that is a feather in their cap. Missoula took a leadership role in this, of course.” Examples of goals in the plan
