Climate Action Toolkit
Climate Action Toolkit
Confronting climate change and accelerating a transition to a clean energy economy is a shared priority for King County and its partners in the King County Cities Climate Collaboration (K4C). Through the Growth Management Planning Council, King County and all 39 cities within the county have established shared, formal targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2050 from 2007 levels. Although the amount of greenhouse gases emitted per person are leveling off, overall emissions levels aren’t declining quickly enough due to robust population and economic growth in King County over the last decade. King County and its partners have developed sector-specific commitments to meet these targets in partnership with residents, businesses, utilities and other governmental agencies.
King County is developing a climate action toolkit for use by cities to accelerate our existing carbon emission reductions at the community scale and within local government operations. King County will also develop a plan for the distribution and promotion of this toolkit among local governments and other stakeholders. By providing your input, you will help inform the actions included in the Climate Action Toolkit, and reflect the priorities, values, and concerns of King County communities.
This toolkit will be shaped within the framework of the updated King County Cities Climate Collaboration shared Joint Commitments and King County’s 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan. King County and its team will review existing toolkits, plans, and processes, tailoring the recommendations to the particular emissions profile, demographics, and local, regional, and state policy-making processes underway in King County.
The toolkit will provide guidance on a mix of actionable & practical strategies that fit cities with different types of land use, population, energy supply, and transportation patterns. The recommendations of the toolkit will acknowledge the variety in local governments, not only size, but also stage of planning and amount of staff and financial capacity with which to undertake climate planning.
How to use: Navigate through each section by clicking the “Continue” button at the bottom of the page. Provide feedback on as many sections as you would like. You do not have to provide feedback on every section and can continue through each section without commenting or by leaving the section unanswered if you do not wish to comment.
Community scale actions
King County is committed to reducing countywide levels of greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. Cities, through their local governmental powers, can develop policies and make investments in programs that support the reduction of countywide greenhouse gas emissions. While seeking to maximize emissions reductions, cities must consider their population and land use patterns – is it a large, densely populated city, a suburban city, or a rural city? Other considerations when developing policies and programs include public health, mobility, climate justice and equity, economic growth, and our natural environment.
