To the editor:

I read with alarm the mayor’s recent vision for Lawrence: more buildings, more annexed land, more housing developments. What I did not read was a single word about climate change. Not one acknowledgment of the environmental consequences of this expansion. Not one plan for sustainability. Not one recognition that we live on a planet in crisis.

Lawrence calls itself progressive, yet our leaders speak of growth only in terms of revenue and construction. Growth without responsibility is not progress; it is reckless. Every new subdivision means more cars, more asphalt, more emissions. Every annexed acre of farmland or prairie means less carbon capture, less biodiversity, less resilience. Every building constructed without sustainable standards locks us into decades of higher emissions. This is not leadership. It is negligence.

Kansas already faces hotter summers, harsher droughts and unpredictable storms. Ignoring these realities while celebrating unchecked expansion is denial. Where are the commitments to green building standards? Where are the investments in renewable energy, public transit and walkable neighborhoods? Where is the plan to preserve green space and protect water resources?

Lawrence has the opportunity to lead, but that requires courage. Growth must begin with the question ‘how will this affect the climate?’ Anything less is unacceptable. If we truly care about the future of this city, we must demand climate responsibility in every plan for expansion.

David Howard Wilkinson,

Lawrence