County Council adopts climate change plan

The Metropolitan King County Council gave its unanimous approval today to legislation adopting a strategic approach in addressing climate change in King County. 

“Setting goals and measuring our progress towards addressing climate change are important parts of being better stewards of the environment,” said Councilmember Bob Ferguson, co-sponsor of the ordinance. “Today’s action makes sure King County will continue to prioritize efforts to protect our environment, which is critical to our economy, health, and quality of life.”

When the Council adopted the countywide strategic plan in 2010, one of its goals was environmental sustainability—reducing climate pollution and preparing for the effects of climate change on the environment, human health and the economy.

The County has many policies and programs that help reduce emissions and address the impact of climate change. The purpose of the ordinance is to identify those programs, measure their effectiveness in meeting their specific goals, and provide information on whether those programs are helping the County achieve its goals.

The ordinance calls for the County Executive to present a Strategic Climate Action Plan to the Council by June 29, 2012. The focus of the current plan would be focused on county operations and areas of direct influence. The legislation calls for the Action Plan to be updated in 2015 and would expand to include ways the county can influence community-level emissions and mitigating impacts.