 Climate legislation filed this week could help the region take a significant step forward in the fight to slow climate change
Last October, I was alarmed to read the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report concluding that humans have 12 years left to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 45% to avert impacts that will irreversibly affect communities around the globe.
Many of my constituents share my alarm and are urging greater action to address the climate crisis. After talking with District 6 constituents and members of People for Climate Action, I introduced legislation that calls on King County to build on its partnerships with cities and other stakeholders to go further to reduce greenhouse gas emissions communitywide.
King County has been a national leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from our government operations but we have had less success reducing communitywide emissions as needed to avert irreversible climate change.
My legislation will direct the creation of a Climate Action Toolkit that all jurisdictions can use to create locally-tailored climate action plans. The Climate Action Toolkit will enable cities to identify their leading greenhouse gas contributors and implement strategies to reduce those emissions. It will also be a tool for residents to use to advocate actions to meet our collective goals to reduce communitywide greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2050.
This legislation is not the end, but instead a ramp up of efforts to avert that grave warnings that the IPCC issued 12 months ago.
Until next time,
 Claudia Balducci
King County Council
District 6
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