Recent reports have heightened public concern about climate change and the future of the planet, and in the Lehigh Valley, all three major cities are taking steps to address the issue.

That was the message to an attentive audience at Kirkland Village Oct. 16 in a talk on “Climate Change: Lehigh Valley Strategies for Today and Tomorrow.” The event was a preview presentation for the upcoming series of Great Decisions lectures, presented annually by the Bethlehem YWCA.

The moderator was Lawrence Eighmy, managing principal of the Stonehouse Group, an environmental and sustainability consulting firm in Bethlehem.

Eighmy observed all greenhouse emissions are not equal. “When you shift from coal to natural gas, there is a 50 percent drop in emissions,” he said, adding that airline travel has one of the biggest impacts on emissions. He said there are many ways individuals can reduce their own carbon footprint.

“If you’re a climate denier, you can’t be,” Becky Bradley, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, told the audience. In addition to Bradley, the panelists included Geoff Reese, director of environmental planning for the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, Irene Woodward, director of planning and zoning for the city of Allentown, and Brian Hilliard of the Bethlehem Advisory Council. Easton Mayor Sal Panto also spoke about steps his city is taking.

Bradley and Reiss talked about the final draft of their agency’s updated regional plan, which includes a survey of area residents showing that a priority for them is maintaining the quality of life the Valley now enjoys.

Among the goals of the plan are addressing the issue of vehicle emissions by improving the connectivity of public transportation in the region. “The more people who ride buses, the more transit we can offer,” Bradley said. She said they’re working with LANTA to develop express bus plans, perhaps with lanes designated exclusively for buses.

Reiss said compact urban development is also a priority, concentrating people in urban areas so they’re living closer to where they work. The commission works with developers and municipalities to protect environmental features. “We have to allow development somewhere,” he said, so they “work to allow density in areas that are already developed.”

Bethlehem has pledged to reduce the city’s carbon footprint by 20 percent, Hilliard said. This effort has included converting all traffic lights to LED, for a 70 percent energy reduction, tree planting in the city, the South Bethlehem Greenway project and recommending a ban on plastic bags (although the state has nixed such efforts).

Panto said people in Easton weren’t that interested in addressing climate change until Superstorm Sandy, which left much of the city without power for six days. He said the city is planning a new city hall which would be powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

Woodward said Allentown is updating its comprehensive plan with goals similar to those of the planning commission.

Other initiatives aimed at improving the environment that are taking place on both regional and municipal levels include:

• Training for building an electric vehicle grid, and preparing for autonomous vehicles.

• A commuter bike trail to connect center city Allentown with Whitehall Township, and a high quality trail system which would connect all three Lehigh Valley cities.

• Setting aside $6 million to address the effects of climate change on roads and other infrastructure.

• Easton has also converted its traffic lights to LED, and has installed electric vehicle charging stations. Lafayette College, Panto said, already has electric vehicles.

The 46th annual Great Decisions foreign policy lecture series runs for eight Wednesdays, Feb. 5 to March 25, 2020, also at Kirkland. Among the topics to be addressed this season are India and Pakistan, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, Climate Change and the Global Order, and Artificial Intelligence and Data. For information, call the YWCA at 610-867-4669, ext. 101, or email adminassist@ywcabethlehem.org.