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Climate Protection
About this measure: This performance measure addresses the degree that King County government achieves its climate change related goals for operations related to:
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from government operations
- Preparing for climate change impacts
This Climate Protection Performance Measure addresses the degree that King County achieves climate change targets related to government operations. For more information about community level sources of greenhouse gas emissions as well as the status of key local climate change impacts, see the KingStat Climate Protection Indicator.
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
King County government operations produce significant GHG emissions — equivalent to annual emissions from about 125,000 passenger vehicles. Major government sources are combustion of diesel and gasoline fuel by transit buses and fleet vehicles, methane from landfills, electricity used in buildings and for wastewater treatment, and the production, use and disposal of government purchased goods and services associated with capital and operational practices.
King County also owns and manages approximately 20,000 acres of forest land that store large quantities of biological carbon in tree trunks, roots and foliage. Soils also store significant amounts of biological carbon.
Performance Targets: King County is committed to reducing its own environmental footprint. Updated targets for government operations are proposed in policy E-204a of the Executive Recommended 2012 King County Comprehensive Plan and in the 2012 King County Strategic Climate Action Plan, and include a goal to reduce operational sources of GHG emissions — compared to a 2007 baseline — by at least 15 percent by 2015, 25 percent by 2020, and 50 percent by 2030. These near term targets are consistent with the County's long-term goal of collaborating with other local governments and partners to reduce countywide emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050.
Status: Overall energy-related GHG emissions from government operations increased slightly (~1 percent) between 2007 and 2011. The rise in operational GHG emissions is largely due to increases in transit service. GHG emissions from bus diesel usage account for more than half of all energy-related GHG emissions, and have increased by approximately 5 percent since 2007. Energy-related GHG emissions from sources other than transit decreased by roughly 4 percent between 2000 and 2011, a sign of progress related to implementation of the 2010 Energy Plan and the Green Building and Sustainable Development policy, among other efforts.
Influencing Factors: Example factors that influence King County's progress to reduce operational sources of greenhouse gas emissions include:
- cost and adoption rate of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects
- leadership and operational level commitments to emissions reduction
- policy development, accounting advancements, and staff training
- behavior of employees
- increasing provision of services that use fossil fuels (e.g. transit and wastewater treatment)
Preparing for Climate Change Impacts
King County plays important roles in helping minimize the local impacts and risks of climate change. For example, it has programs, policies and projects that reduce the risks of floods, develop capacity and markets for reclaimed water, partner with farm and forest owners to address climate change impacts, and plan for effects of climate change on stormwater, public health and emergency management.
Performance Targets: King County has multiple goals for preparing for the effects of climate change on the environment, human health and the economy. The overarching target is highlighted by strategy ES.3d of the King County Strategic Plan to: Identify and adapt to the impacts of climate change on natural systems, human health, public safety, county operations, infrastructure and the economy.
Status: King County is playing important roles in communitywide preparedness efforts to reduce local climate change impacts and risks. For example, the King County Flood Control District is improving floodplain management to minimize the impacts of flooding. In 2011, the district completed three flood protection infrastructure projects, helped raise the elevation of seven homes, facilitated relocation of five chronically flooded houses to higher ground, and demolished six chronically flooded houses on land that King County had purchased.
The County is helping minimize other climate change impacts and risks through actions such as developing capacity and markets for reclaimed water, partnering with farm and forest owners to address climate change impacts, planning for effects of climate change on human health, providing information to citizens on Vashon Island about the impacts of rising sea level, and ensuring that the County can continue to provide services such as transit, wastewater treatment, debris management and flood protection.
Most recently, the County has integrated the consideration of climate change impacts into a wide range of its ongoing projects and programs. These programs address issues ranging from salmon recovery to stormwater management to public health to emergency management.
Influencing Factors: Example factors that influence King County's progress to prepare for climate change impacts include:
- staff training and knowledge about likely climate change impacts
- funding availability to address potential impacts to infrastructure and natural resources
- scientific data focused on local climate change impacts
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