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Climate Action Plan
The City of Woodinville has adopted its first Climate Action Plan (CAP) to provide a strategic framework to reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and protect our community and environment from climate impacts. Using grant funding from the Washington State Department of Commerce, the CAP includes the prioritization of a range of actions and policies that will help us accomplish our climate goals and ensure alignment with other City and regional plans.
Adopting a CAP is a critical step in preparing our community for the impacts of climate change. Climate change represents an ever-increasing threat to the health and well-being of Woodinville residents and beyond. GHG emissions from transportation, energy use, land use change, and other sources are changing our climate in ways that can put the community at risk. Projected changes in temperature, snowpack, severe storms, and wildfire risk could threaten the City of Woodinville’s infrastructure, natural resources, and public health.
The City is exploring community solutions and individual actions that will reduce the City’s emissions, conserve natural resources and ecosystems, and strengthen community resilience. By acting now, the City can proactively help protect the health and well-being of our community, economy, and environment.
- What is Climate Change?
- How is Climate Change Affecting Woodinville?
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions In Woodinville
While weather is what we experience on a day-to-day basis, climate describes average weather conditions over a long period of time. As the climate changes, extreme weather conditions, such as extreme heat and precipitation, become more frequent and severe. Climate change is the resulting impact of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) within our atmosphere. GHGs such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) create a greenhouse effect, trapping heat within the atmosphere and causing the gradual increase of global average temperatures. Human activities, such as driving and heating or cooling homes and businesses, emit large amounts of GHGs due to the combustion of fossil fuels.
Woodinville is experiencing climate impacts such as extreme heat, drought, and extreme precipitation. These changes lead to an increase in frequency and severity of natural disasters such as heat waves and flooding. Woodinville already experiences these impacts through extreme weather events such as record-breaking heat waves and poor air quality days caused by wildfire smoke. These impacts are harmful to the natural environment, critical resources, and the overall health of our community. Without intervention, these impacts will continue to worsen. The CAP will identify actions to equitably address the harmful effects of climate change.
Woodinville’s community-wide emissions were calculated as part of the Puget Sound Regional Analysis (PSREA) project. In 2019, energy production and consumption were responsible for 53% of Woodinville’s community-wide emissions. Transportation was responsible for 36% of emissions. Remaining emissions occurred from solid waste transportation and disposal and refrigerant leakage.
Figure 1. The City of Woodinville's 2019 community-wide emissions (total emissions = 224,496 MTCO2e)
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Kevin O'Neill
Assistant to the City Manager