Last week I joined thirty five other elected and tribal officials from Washington, Oregon, and Montana to send letters to President Barack Obama, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Washington Governor Jay Inslee and the Washington Department of Ecology asking for a broad and inclusive review of the three coal export sites proposed for […]

On Monday, June 17, the Council unanimously adopted an update to Seattle’s Climate Action Plan that sets Seattle on a course towards our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. I proposed adopting the ambitious ‘Carbon Neutral by 2050’ goal as a Council priority in 2010, and legislation accepting the goal was approved by the […]

Seattle has accepted a big challenge:  to turn around the loss of tree cover from developing a City on this formerly forested land, and to restore and regrow as much of the urban forest as we can.  Trees not only because they make the City more beautiful and our neighborhoods more livable, but also help […]

In my last post, I noted that the Council had adopted the Carbon Neutral Goal with some confidence that it is attainable, and that part of the basis for that conclusion was the findings in the report we commissioned from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).  SEI was tasked with creating a scenario for achieving Carbon […]

On Monday, October 3, the Seattle City Council unanimously approved Resolution 31312, endorsing a path toward reducing Seattle’s net greenhouse gas emissions level to zero by 2050.  Section 1 of the resolution resolves that the “City adopts the following climate protection and adaptation goals: (1)   Seattle will strive to reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) […]

Much of the work on climate change has focused on making major policy or systems level changes that will have dramatic impacts on carbon emissions.  Critical as it is to change emissions systems, create new technologies, develop energy efficient buildings, or provide better travel options and renewable energy systems, most such big ideas require people […]

Increasing density is a key strategy for achieving carbon neutrality.  However, it requires a significant level of effort and planning to ensure that dense neighborhoods include good schools, parks, public safety, and many other factors that make communities work. Dense communities reduce climate impacts through energy efficiency and conservation.  They also can reduce transportation emissions […]

Choices about controlling carbon emissions are shaped by public policies. Carbon emissions are lower in communities that are compact and that provide access via transit and non-motorized travel among jobs, homes, and commercial and recreational activities.  New York is the classic example – with great transit connections and many multi-family dwellings, New Yorkers emit much […]

Seattle has adopted a goal of restoring and increasing our urban forest.  We have created an Urban Forestry Commission (UFC) that is reviewing current policies and developing new approaches.  I would like to see  developed a new set of policies that will emphasize native vegetation, habitat restoration, and the benefits of trees in natural drainage.  […]

The climate is already changing and will keep changing no matter how rapidly we are able to turn around greenhouse gas accumulation.  So we will need a strategy of adaptation to the expected impacts, which were reviewed in the previous post.  Here is what Seattle is doing. The outstanding example of the City’s work to […]