Greenhouse gas emissions in King County
King County, Washington

Human caused sources of greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide and methane, are causing unprecedented and severe changes in global and local climate systems. This is the consensus view of the world’s leading scientists, including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (external links).

As directed by the King County Comprehensive Plan and by various other King County climate change policies, King County conducts periodic assessments of greenhouse gases. These assessments are used for a number of purposes, including to identify major sources of emissions, set climate change goals, identify trends and track progress, and communicate to the public how the government and community contributes to emissions.

King County’s assessments of emissions have historically quantified emissions associated with King County government operations and emissions that occurred within the King County geographic boundary.  In the most recent 2008 inventory, a new methodology also estimated emissions associated with consumption of all goods and services by King County residents and governments, no matter where the emissions occurred.

King County Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Inventories

2008 Greenhouse Gas Emissions in King County New! (published February, 2012)
This report quantifies emissions from the entire King County community including governments, residents and business, presenting results from two different, but complementary, inventories of GHG emissions.

2003 Inventory of King County Air Emissions (Acrobat pdf)
Greenhouse gas emissions and other sources of air pollution associated with King County government operations and the King County geography.

2000 Inventory of King County Air Emissions (Acrobat pdf)
Greenhouse gas emissions and other sources of air pollution associated with King County government operations.

For more information about greenhouse gas emissions in King County, please contact Brin Manning, Climate Change Program Project Manager, DNRP Policy Unit - Air Quality and Climate Change.