Evaluating Washington's Future in a Changing Climate

Posted 23 February 2009 by Sara in Facing Climate Change, Field Notes

Benj and I recently attended The Washington Climate Change Impacts Assessment Conference at the Convention Center. The event was an opportunity to learn more about the results of a new state-funded report on the impacts of climate change in the Pacific Northwest and the implications for our ecosystems and communities.

 

Here are some of the regional consequences of climate change from the report:

• Wetter winters and drier summers
• A 38-46 percent decrease in mountain snowpack by the 2040′s
• Water shortages in the Yakima basin
• Further reduced quality and quantity of salmon habitat
• Increased extreme precipitation and greater flood risk in western Washington
• Area burned by fire regionally will double by the 2040′s
• Significantly more heat and air pollution-related deaths throughout this century.

And one of my favorite quotes from the summary:

“Adapting to climate change must be seen as a continuous series of decisions and activities undertaken by individuals, groups and governments rather than a one time activity.”

 

Overall, the conference was unsettling, but it also confirmed our feeling that these are the stories that need to be told. We’re very lucky to have the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group scaling the global implications of climate change down to a local level. If you want to learn more, I highly recommend reading their twenty-page Executive Summary.