Green House Gas Emissions

GHG Emissions for all King County Residents and Businesses

About this indicator: Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as carbon dioxide and methane are the primary cause of human induced climate change. The GHG emissions Atmosphere Indicator focuses on measuring progress towards reducing all types of GHG emissions from all activities within King County's geographic area. For detailed information about how King County Government is reducing emissions associated with government operations, see the KingStat Climate Protection Performance Measure.

Drivers: In King County, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are primarily caused by fossil fuel use (gasoline and diesel) for transportation and to a lesser but significant extent to heat our buildings (natural gas and heating oil). Combusting fossil fuel (e.g. coal) to produce electricity is also a source of GHG emissions, although in King County, because of the prevalence of hydropower, this is less of a source than in many other regions.

Status: As of 2002, the King County region (all residents and businesses) produced approximately 23 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents annually. This is about one quarter of Washington State's emissions and roughly 0.3% of the United States' emissions. GHG emissions in Washington State decreased slightly from 2000 to 2003. This trend also very likely occurred in King County, although to a lesser degree. Many analysts attributed this trend to significant energy price swings during this period. Since 2004, the state's emissions have been on the rise.

However, there are important reasons for optimism. For example, the City of Seattle (which is responsible for roughly 30% of King County's overall emissions) reported emissions in 2005 to be 8% below 1990 levels. They attribute this reduction to several factors, such as offsetting the emissions generated by Seattle City Light's electricity production through innovative emissions reduction projects. They also report that conservation efforts, in conjunction with many residential and commercial users switching from heating oil to lower carbon intensity natural gas, contributed to this progress.

Despite these successes, transportation related GHG emissions in King County continue to rise; this trend, evident in several reports, illustrates the significant challenge that King County is facing to reduce its emissions. Additionally, total energy usage in King County, as reported by Puget Sound Energy and Seattle City Light, has increased over the last several years.

GHG Reduction Goals for the King County Region:

• Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Initiative, as described in
  • Collaborate with local communities to stop the increase of countywide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2010
  • Collaborate with local communities to reduce countywide GHG emissions by 80 percent below 2007 emissions by 2050
• Washington Law, as described by ESSB 2815, effective 6/12/2008
  • By 2020, reduce overall emissions of GHGs in the state to 1990 levels
  • By 2035, reduce emissions to 25% below 1990 levels
  • By 2050, reduce emissions to 50% below 1990 levels

Existing response: The King County Executive's Office developed the 2007 King County Climate Plan which addresses both community (regional) and corporate (organizational) GHG emissions. The actions to reduce climate pollution are aimed at using the county's four levers of change: land use, transportation, environmental management and renewable energy. In February 2008, the annual update of the climate report was released, highlighting progress that has been made in the past year. Some actions that relate most directly to reducing King County's regional emissions are:

• Addition of greenhouse gas emissions to the environmental review of projects undergoing environmental review mandated by the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), including the county's own developments
• Implementation of over 56,000 new hours of service as part of the Transit Now! Initiative, which is connecting high-density communities to new streamlined bus routes
• Production of the draft 2008 Comprehensive Plan Update, which includes important policies that support climate change mitigation and adaptation
• Update of the county's Green Building Ordinance and progress on county projects that employ higher standards of green building
• Purchase of significant amounts of biofuels by King County's Transit, Wastewater and Solid Waste divisions
• Approval of a contract for conversion of methane from the King County Solid Waste Division landfill to usable energy

Please note, the above actions are those actions that are most relevant to reducing regional GHG emissions. For more specifics about how emissions from King County's governmental operations are being addressed, see the KingStat Climate Protection Performance Measure.

Priority new actions for 2008:

• Continue development of proposed mitigation thresholds for SEPA-reviewed projects
• Continue collaboration with other governments, universities and the private sector on issues such as greenhouse gas emissions modeling for regional projects, reduction of vehicle miles traveled, encouragement of electrified transportation, broader establishment of fueling infrastructure for clean vehicles, continued development of a regional market for clean vehicles, and improved evaluation of landfill sequestration of greenhouse gas emissions
• Continue work on ways to develop "green collar" jobs in King County
• Continue support of statewide dialogue on climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies
• Advocate for establishment of sound United States federal climate policy as soon as possible, through such venues as the Cool Counties Initiative