Responding to climate change

Washington’s climate change resilience strategy

The Washington State Climate Resilience Strategy is an important tool that brings together Ecology and state agency partners to help communities, infrastructure, and natural and working lands prepare for the impacts of climate change in Washington.

We published the strategy Sept. 30, 2024. Read the strategy and sign up for our email list to stay informed as we work to implement our actions. 

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Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is pivotal to our work. Our global reliance on fossil fuels adds greater amounts of greenhouse gases to our atmosphere, which results in higher global temperatures and causes most climate change impacts.

We work to implement the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), which targets the state's largest sources of greenhouse gases, adopt clean fuel and zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) standards, and reduce excess emissions caused by food waste.

The Washington Climate Partnership works to create a statewide strategy to meet Washington's climate goals. We're developing a comprehensive climate action plan that covers all economic sectors through collaboration with the Department of Commerce, impacted communities, Tribes, businesses, workers, subject matter experts, and more. 

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Reducing flood risks

Reducing the impacts of flooding in our communities is complex and critical. As snowpacks and icebergs melt, sea levels rise faster, increasing the impacts of flooding.

We support communities through flood planning and risk assessment — grants and technical assistance, including adapting toxic cleanup processes, and providing data to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to run the Risk MAP to help communities plan for potential floods.

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Reducing wildfire, drought, and water supply impacts

Monitoring wildfires and smoke is a collaborative process between state and federal agencies. Increased temperatures leads to a cycle of less snowpack and water supply, which leads to more droughts, drier environments, extreme heat events, and a higher risk of wildfire and unhealthy air quality levels.

We monitor and assess potential wildfire risks, prepare for and respond to droughts, teach communities to build long-term drought resilience, and manage the state’s water supply.

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Reducing the impacts of ocean acidification

Ocean acidification has devastating impacts on wildlife and the environment. It's the result of our oceans absorbing excess carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere, resulting in changes to seawater chemistry.

We launched the country’s first Ocean Acidification Blue Ribbon Panel and also track the impacts ocean acidification has in Washington through our ocean acidification monitoring program.