Source: The following was communicated from King County Councilman Larry Phillips, February 28, 2012.
The King County Council unanimously approved Ordinance 2012-0049, adopting a strategic approach to addressing climate change in King County. The ordinance calls on the County Executive to create a Strategic Climate Action Plan by the end of June, 2012 that is consistent with the King County Strategic Plan, which is the organizing framework for the County’s operations and measurement of our government’s performance.
King County currently has multiple progressive policies and programs that help reduce emissions and address the impact of climate change. The purpose of today’s ordinance is to measure the effectiveness of those programs in meeting their specific individual goals, and provide information on whether those programs are helping the County achieve its overall goals. The 2012 plan will focus on county operations and areas of direct influence such as transit and land use. The Action Plan will be updated in 2015, at which time it will be expanded to include ways the county can influence community-level emissions and mitigating impacts.
The climate crisis is an urgent environmental, economic, and public health issue that King County must continue to address. Creating the Strategic Climate Action Plan will allow us to strategically target our resources where they will be most effective in combating climate change, and preparing for its impacts.