Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative

Climate Change and the Northwest Straits

Climate change is an issue of great concern to the Northwest Straits Commission. Experts on climate change have presented at our meetings to provide information about the effects of global climate change to our region. These presentations have provided an opportunity for discussion and learning. Commissioners and Marine Resources Committee members have discussed actions to be taken by our organization to address these concerns such as MRCs hosting community discussions on climate change and providing relevant shoreline data to local governments in order to help guide initiatives designed to minimize greenhouse gases and/or prepare for rising sea levels.

The Northwest Straits Commission is committed to doing our part to reduce greenhouse gases and provide useful information about climate change.

• The Commission has a strong carpooling ethic and regularly works to minimize transportation emissions to meetings and events.
• The Commission will ensure that proposed shoreline restoration projects are reviewed with consideration to sea level rise in Puget Sound.
• Marine vessels employed for NWSC derelict fishing project work are using 100% biodiesel which significantly reduces greenhouse emissions.

Presentations:

• Building a Climate-Friendly and Climate-Safe Community - Jim Lopez, King County
• Global Warming and its Impacts on the Pacific Northwest - Dr. Nathan Mantua, University of Washington

Links:

• Governor’s Executive Order
• Washington State Climate Change Site
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• Stop Global Warming Virtual March
• University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group
• An Inconvenient Truth
• RealClimate - Climate Science from Climate Scientists