What other governments are doing

Local, regional and state governments are leading efforts to shape the way communities are responding to climate change. A wide variety of tools and resources are available to support local climate change adaption efforts in ways that will garner support and acceptance from the stakeholders in their communities. Governments are developing best practices and energy programs that include strategies for meeting customer demands while reducing peak electricity system loads and addressing the environmental impacts of energy use.

Key steps for jurisdictions who want to respond to climate change include:

1. Reduce your climate pollution

1. Inventory your operational and community greenhouse gas emissions
2. Establish emissions reduction targets
3. Identify projects and actions to reduce emissions
4. Commence emission reduction actions
5. Assess progress and next steps

Additional resources:

King County Cities Climate Collaboration
The King County-Cities Climate Collaboration is a partnership to enhance the effectiveness of King County local government climate and sustainability efforts. As of December 2011, nine cities have joined the Collaboration, supporting climate change and sustainability-related projects and programs focused on outreach, coordination, solutions, and funding.

ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability – Climate Change Program
Through its climate mitigation work, ICLEI seeks to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by assisting local governments in taking action to reduce emissions, quantify their progress, and realize multiple benefits for their communities.

Cool Counties Initiative
The Cool Counties Initiative seeks to marshal the resources of all 3,066 counties across the nation to address the challenges climate change poses to our communities.

U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Center
The U.S. Conference of Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement includes 1016 mayors. It vows to reduce carbon emissions in their cities to below 1990 levels.

Climate change in Washington state
Washington state is addressing climate change because its impacts go far beyond a change in the weather. Climate shapes everything—ecosystems, crops, water, economy, lifestyles, health—so even small changes can have big impacts. Washington has already taken steps toward reducing emissions and building a clean energy economy.

Environmental Protection Agency
EPA's Climate Change Site offers comprehensive information on the issue of climate change in a way that is accessible and meaningful to all parts of society—communities, individuals, business, states and localities, and governments. The climate change programs and activities are an integral part of the Agency's mission to protect human health and the environment.

The White House
To take this country in a new direction, President Obama is working with Congress to pass comprehensive legislation to protect our nation from the serious economic and strategic risks associated with our reliance on foreign oil and the destabilizing effects of a changing climate. Policies to advance energy and climate security should promote economic recovery efforts, accelerate job creation, and drive clean energy manufacturing.

2. Plan and prepare for climate change impacts

1. Conduct a climate change vulnerability assessment
2. Develop and implement an adaptation plan to enhance human health and natural and built system resilience

Additional resources:

University of Washington Climate Impacts Group
The Climate Impacts Group (CIG) is an interdisciplinary research group studying the impacts of natural climate variability and global climate change on the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Through research and interaction with regional stakeholders, the CIG works to increase the resilience of the Pacific Northwest to fluctuations in climate.

Washington State Department of Ecology Climate Change Impacts
Due to increased concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) already accumulated in the atmosphere, Washington will face certain impacts to its forests, agriculture, snowpack, rivers, coastal waters and other natural resources. The extent and duration of these impacts will largely be determined by the collective success in reducing future emissions of GHGs.

Other local governments
King County Adaptation Guidebook: Preparing for Climate Change A Guidebook for Local, Regional, and State Governments in PDF format.

City of Chicago
City of Chicago’s Quick guide to Climate Change Preparation: - 560 KB PDF