The Climate Impact Advisory Committee is excited to release the draft Climate Action Plan for a 30-day public review period (till July 30).  Please submit comments to Chris Elder, celder@co.whatcom.wa.us by 5pm on July 30, 2021.

Draft 2021 Whatcom County Climate Action Plan

The tentative schedule is to revise the plan in August based on the comments we have received and present the final document to the County Council in September. We welcome comments and suggestions from the County Council and members of the public.  

This Climate Action Plan is an advisory document based on the latest science and the committee’s knowledge of climate strategies and available technologies to reduce the impacts of climate change. County staff and Council members will decide which actions are implemented. The plan draws heavily from the 2019 Community Research Project report, a community outreach effort that interviewed stakeholders in the County on their recommendations for addressing climate change. Many of the strategies are also aligned with the 2021 Washington State Energy Strategy, as well as best practices from other counties and cities.

The Climate Action Plan is long, but thorough in explaining the need for specific climate actions:

Section 1: “Climate Change in Whatcom County” presents the climate impacts, terminology, our greenhouse gas assessment, and the guiding principles in establishing climate strategies and actions. It is basically a summary of the background information used to develop our recommendations.

Section 2: “The Built Environment” covers the main sectors responsible for emissions, Electricity, Buildings, Industry, Transportation and Waste. We also included Land Use in this section which influences the amount of emissions and provides opportunities for adaptation.

Section 3: “The Natural Environment” includes Water Resources, Fisheries, Agriculture, Forestry and Ecosystems. We highlight both the impacts of climate change on these areas and suggest how these areas can play a large role in climate resilience.

Section 4: “Implementation” – the best approach to accomplish our goals and strategies and the need to be able to measure the effectiveness of our actions.

Section 5: “Appendices” The detailed actions and benefits by strategy for the areas covered in Sections 2 & 3.