WA Dept of Ecology, December 19, 2019
With new research predicting that climate change will cause serious damage to Washington’s environment and economy, the Washington Department of Ecology is recommending the state make deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and eliminate nearly all sources of carbon pollution by 2050.
Ecology based its new recommendations on the steps identified by international scientists and researchers at the University of Washington as necessary to limit the impacts of climate change. That research says that warming by just 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, will mean a 38% decline in Washington’s snowpack, a 23% drop in summer stream flows, and a 1.4-foot rise in sea level. Those changes will mean major challenges to our state’s water supplies, hydroelectric power generation, and coastal communities.
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