Climate action has never been more critical. Heat stress, wildfire smoke, flooding, and drought pose increasing risks to our community. Despite the City of Edmonds’ efforts to combat climate change for decades, our annual carbon emissions has remained largely the same since the 2010. Bold action is required to reduce our climate related risks. The 2023 Climate Action Plan is a call for collective action by the City, Local organizations, businesses, and residents.
Here is the good news: If we commit to the actions proposed in the 2023 Climate Action Plan (CAP), we can achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. By taking steps to reduce carbon emissions, we can also improve quality of life for all, and address environmental injustices. Our plan will help to reverse inequitable underinvestment and minimize climate-related risks for our frontline communities. Frontline communities are defined as living in areas that are more prone to increased impacts – such as areas lacking tree canopy and/or located within flood zones.
The CAP was developed by evaluating potential actions we could take as individuals, organizations and as a municipality to reduce Edmond’s carbon emissions. We listened to community input and we relied on the best available science. The proposed actions play to our strengths, and it holds us accountable through performance metrics to track our progress. These metrics rely on quantifiable outcomes, such as solar installations and commutes by transit. The city will share progress reports on its website.
You can find an executive summary of the plan on our webpage and the full plan will be available on Feb. 28, 2023.
The city cannot achieve our climate goals alone. Many actions rely on our community forming new habits. A summary of what you can do is available on the city’s website. Additionally this spring, the City will be hosting a Climate Champions Series in partnership with the Climate Protection Committee. We invite you to join us in this very important effort to ensure high quality of life for all in the future of Edmonds. Details and dates will be shared in the coming weeks.
The Climate Action Plan will be presented along with a public hearing at the Feb. 28 Edmonds City Council meeting.
— By Susan McLaughlin
City of Edmonds Planning and Development Director
Ms McLaughlin, Thank you for this update. It would appear to me that many of the bills being proposed in the House and Senate regarding affordable housing and increased density would make achievement of these climate goals for Edmonds much more difficult if not impossible. The one size fits all state approach just won’t work.
Until I see large capacity high speed passenger trains and virtually no inefficient fossil fuel guzzling jet planes flying over land masses, I don’t plan to get too excited about how great we are doing when it comes to saving the planet from car pollution and natural gas use. I do believe it is a good idea to protect, improve and enhance our Marsh and make sure it has proper salt and fresh water exchange to function as it’s supposed to. I do believe we need to clean up our local watersheds and try to preserve what green and forest spaces we have left in town, but I don’t trust our local politicians and city staff people to be sincere in their efforts in those areas. Indeed they are currently part of pushing density legislation that is the very antitheses to their proclaimed goals for our future climate. Whether they will admit this or even realize they are doing it is problematical.
Passenger cars account for 36% and commercial aircraft 7% of transportation CO2 emissions. Trains are, by weight even more efficient. There are many alternatives to fossil fuel cars but as yet few alternatives for airplanes.
To make the adoption of available electric versions of the passenger cars contingent of the change to as yet unavailable electric planes seems counter productive.
It would be more salient for the city to deliver on a city wide property tax abatement effort….
Edmonds property owners are getting crushed under record annual and monthly taxes.
Unfortunately planning is not responsible for mitigating taxes but posting this comment here as the economics of livability demand a lower burden on home owners, especially those with incomes below 100k / year ….
Climate efforts will not make it any different for owners who are getting driven out.
Unless scientifically proven otherwise, Edmonds climate actions are just a bunch of nonsense. Just out of curiosity what percentage of local efforts of carbon reduction is a percentage of the world’s total amount? Come up with a number? Completely insignificant. The whole thing is about as intelligent as trying to fill the Grand Canyon with a teaspoon. By the way, there is no realistic plan to completely electrify this region in anytime for decades and that’s an inconvenient fact. I guess people just need to feel good although maybe investing in psychotherapy or medication may be more prudent.