Jason Liechty is well known within Broward County’s Resilient Environment Department, where he manages environmental policy and legislative issues and contributes to many of the County’s climate and energy initiatives.
What have you learned during your decade with the County?
So much that I’m not sure where to begin! The power of personal connections, for one. I couldn’t imagine when I started working here how close I would become with colleagues from the Compact, often working more closely with staff from other counties, cities, and organizations than with my own County colleagues. Nor could I imagine how important those social connections would be for advancing climate resilience across the region. We trust one another and know each other’s strengths and the strengths of each other’s organizations, and that speeds up coordination and progress immensely.
I’ve also learned better how to balance idealism and pragmatism. Half a loaf is better than no loaf, and progress usually happens incrementally, sometimes in steps so small they barely seem worth it. At other moments, bigger changes occur. Climate issues can feel overwhelming—they are overwhelming. And I recognize that there is no single policy or technological advancement that will solve the problem in one fell swoop. At the same time, I have to stay optimistic. What’s the alternative? Giving up? I refuse to do that. We can always bend the curves in a more positive direction.
What does the term “resilience” recall for you?
I usually first think of one of the most common definitions, “bouncing back after a shock.” But many times, bouncing back to the exact same situation would be unwise—for example, building in areas vulnerable to storm surge after the area was destroyed by a hurricane. We have to do better when we bounce back. How do we do that? By taking a cold, hard look at the problems we have today, and how we can improve on them incrementally, but also in the wake of a serious systemic shock, which we have to expect will happen from time to time. So we have to be prepared. Building connections and community among people are also incredibly important—having trusted relationships in place may be the most valuable asset following a shock.
What are you proudest of?
Standing up for the County and our residents on energy issues, especially pushing utilities to have meaningful goals for energy conservation, promote solar energy, and adopt fair rate increases. We weren’t always successful - that’s the nature of the game - but we tried our best.
Also, I’m extremely proud that I helped ignite the County’s transition to electric vehicles. By taking advantage of our application to join the Under2 Coalition, a global alliance of subnational governments devoted to tackling climate change, I found a lever for change and used it.
We needed to sign up for a “challenge” as part of our application, and I had a hunch signing up for a goal to purchase only zero-emissions vehicles after 2030 would be the kick we needed to really launch our electric vehicle transition. It was.
