Pierce County Council Commits To Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions

PIERCE COUNTY, WA — The Pierce County Council has approved a plan to dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions across the county by the end of the decade.

Council members voted 6 to 1 Tuesday evening to approve the Sustainability 2030: Pierce County Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan. The plan is a 10-year proposal, outlining several changes the county will need to make to reduce emissions, with the goal of cutting them 45 percent by the year 2030.

According to that proposal, the county's biggest challenge is traffic: on-road vehicles create 37 percent of the county's greenhouse gas emissions. Industrial environments are the second largest pollutant, representing 22 percent of Pierce County greenhouse gases.

The proposal also outlines five "areas of focus" that can help Pierce County meet its 45 percent goal:

• Energy and built environment, making buildings more energy efficient and transitioning to greener energy sources.
• Transportation, cutting car emissions by expanding bus lines and other public transportation options.
• Consumption and waste management, creating incentives for recycling and exploring food waste recycling options.
• Carbon sequestration, capturing carbon dioxide from the air by using plants and green infrastructure.
• Education and outreach, helping the community understand the county's conservation goals and inviting them to take part.

“We are running out of time to take these necessary steps to protect ourselves from catastrophic warming,” said Council Chair Derek Young. “And while we are celebrating adoption of this bold plan to reduce carbon pollution in Pierce County, we are ready to begin implementation, which is the most important part for our community and future generations.”

As the county council explains, the plan follows a similar sustainability program which ran from 2015-2020. The council says it focused on cutting down on waste, protecting human health and the environment — and ultimately saved the county millions of dollars.

The council's newest proposal follows a statewide mandate calling on all communities to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2030, 70 percent by 2040 and 95 percent by 2050.

Read the full Sustainability 2030: Pierce County Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan.