
(Image: City of Seattle)
Mayor Bruce Harrell and Seattle city officials spent Earth Day like many of the rest of us — promising to do better.
Tuesday, Harrell signed an “Earth Day executive order” directing city departments to “respond to Seattle’s current and future climate challenges with a focus on building resilience, growing a green economy, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from transportation.”
The order’s most significant element sets Seattle on track for updating its key Climate Action Plan by the summer of 2026.
“Climate change is impacting more parts of daily life than it did a decade ago. Hotter summers are making living and working more uncomfortable and often dangerous,” Harrell said in the announcement of the order. “Severe storms are damaging infrastructure and flooding homes, pollutants are worsening air quality, and much more.”
The update will be the first for the plan since it was formed in 2013.
The average global temperature in 2013 was 58.3 F. Continue reading →