Climate Action Plans

Overview

The impacts of climate change are being felt by many communities across Washington State. In response, many local governments have developed plans intended to mitigate and reduce the negative impacts of climate change on their communities. These are often referred to as Climate Action Plans (CAPs).

A CAP can help to prioritize actions that should be taken to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and serve as a roadmap for local governments to implement municipal and community-wide climate-related programs, projects, and policies.

Since 2023, local governments planning under the Growth Management Act (GMA) must include a climate change and resiliency element in their comprehensive plans, and some must also include a GHG mitigation sub-element—see RCW 36.70A.070(9).

The climate change and resiliency element must be incorporated into comprehensive plans by the timelines set forth at RCW 36.70A.070(9). The Washington State Department of Commerce's (Commerce) Climate Planning webpage should be consulted for guidance documents and the Climate Policy Explorer. See also our Comprehensive Planning webpage.

Other state climate planning efforts include the Washington Climate Partnership, led by the state departments of commerce and ecology. This effort leads near- and long-term planning to meet Washington’s ambitious climate goals for 2030 and beyond through development of a statewide Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP), which the Partnership is currently working to finalize.

Climate Action Plans

A locally adopted CAP is a comprehensive policy tool outlining specific actions that a community will undertake to reduce GHG emissions and/or to implement adaptation strategies that may counter the negative effects of climate change. Sometimes CAPs cover a single municipality, while others are regional in scope.

CAPs typically establish GHG reduction targets and use a GHG emissions inventory as a baseline for setting those targets. CAPs also identify emissions reduction policies and strategies by sector (i.e., transportation/land use, buildings, waste reduction, agriculture, and municipal operations).

Step-by-step technical resources can assist jurisdictions that are just undertaking the CAP planning process or want to update and strengthen existing plans. For a list of individual GHG reduction strategies broken down by section, associated resources, and examples, see Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategies for Local Governments. 

Examples of CAPs

Several Washington local governments and regional organizations have adopted CAPs that include GHG-reduction strategies. The Local Government Climate Change Documents webpage includes a comprehensive list of climate-related plans by jurisdiction, including CAPs, sustainability plans, and comprehensive plans with climate-related policies. 

Below are some examples of local CAPs.

• Bainbridge Island A Plan for Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change (2020) – Uses the "five milestones" approach created by ICLEI: making an inventory of emissions, establishing reduction targets, developing a CAP, implementing policies and procedures, and monitoring and verifying results.
• 2026-2030 Sustainable Bellevue – Guides the city towards GHG emission reduction and helps it prepare the community for climate-change-related impacts.
• Burien Climate Action Plan (2021) – Sets goals of 50% reduction in GHGs by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. It establishes a framework for reaching reduction targets by focusing on five sectors: transportation and land use, buildings and energy, materials and consumption, water and natural systems, and community resilience and well-being. 
• Chelan County Climate Resiliency Strategy (2020) – Developed collaboratively with local and state partners; takes a countywide focus.
• Edmonds Climate Action Plan (2023) – Includes engagement materials and solutions related to buildings and energy, transportation, and waste and natural resources. 
• Everett Climate Action Plan (2020) – Includes a qualitative assessment of the potential benefits associated with each implementation action; criteria include public health, feasibility, economic growth, and equity.
• Issaquah Climate Action Plan (2021) – Based on recommendations developed during a 2020 Community Convening on Climate event; builds on earlier Mobility Master Plan, Sustainable Buildings Action Strategy, and Parks Strategic Plan.
• Kenmore Climate Action Plan (2022) – Includes 15 priorities developed through extensive public engagement, like increasing energy grid resilience and reliability, centering vulnerable community members, and preparing for climate emergencies. 
• King County Strategic Climate Action Plan (2025) — Builds a five-year blueprint for climate action based on county priorities and commitments to community.
• Kirkland Sustainability Master Plan (2020) – Includes sustainability goals organized by eight focus areas that are intended to be measurable and actionable. 
• Mercer Island Climate Action Plan (2023) – Includes 5 focus areas and 59 actions and policies to help the city meet its climate goals.
• Methow Valley Climate Action Plan (2021) – Developed regionally involving area local governments, community members, and other groups; guiding principles include resiliency, equity, and working toward carbon neutrality.
• Port Angeles Climate Resiliency Plan (2022) – Focused on reducing GHG emissions, protecting natural resources, and ensuring community well-being.
• Redmond Environmental Sustainability Action Plan (2020) – Aims to create a climate-friendly community with a commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050.
• Seattle Climate Action Plan – Actions are focused on areas of greatest need and impact.
• Shoreline Climate Action Plan (2022) – Includes three overarching goals: reducing emissions, enhancing ecosystem health and sequestration, and increasing community resilience and preparedness. 
• Spokane Sustainability Action Plan (2021) – Centered on equity and identifies strategies and actions to meet the city's 100% renewable energy goals, which were adopted in 2018.
• Tacoma 2030 Climate Action Plan – Updates a 2021 plan by maintaining original targets, updating incomplete actions, and introducing actions to be completed by 2027. 
• Vancouver Climate Action Framework (2022) – Creates a long-term vision that includes equity in climate action; a resilient, green economy; 100% clean energy; active, electrified transportation and connected neighborhoods; connected, carbon-rich natural systems; and less waste.
• Whatcom County Climate Action Plan (2021) – Calls for the formation of an Office of Climate Action that would coordinate efforts across multiple county departments and promote community engagement in projects that boost climate resilience.

Recommend Resources

• City Scale The State of Local Climate Planning (2021) – Evaluates the state of local climate action planning, including observations about current deficits and future needs.
• Salem (OR) Climate Actions Audit (2020) – Includes a comprehensive review of 12 adopted CAPs (Tacoma and Bellingham are included), a ranking of different policies as “essential, priority, and additional,” an analysis of public engagement strategies for the CAP adoption process, and a review of existing policies that advance CAP goals.
• Zero Energy Project Cities with Climate Action Plans – Maintains a list of cities across the nation that have adopted CAPs.

Developing and Updating a Greenhouse Gas Inventory

A GHG inventory is an evaluation tool for local governments to use in developing targeted climate action strategies specific to local needs. It is not a precondition to taking steps to reduce emissions; however, it is a frequently used, valuable tool in climate action planning.

An initial GHG inventory is typically a baseline calculation of all emissions from various sources throughout a local jurisdiction, and it is often limited to a public agency’s operational emissions. A GHG inventory can inform decision-makers on where and how to focus their emissions reduction efforts.

Inventory categories vary by jurisdiction and approach, but can generally be divided into the following sectors:

• Energy,
• Transportation,
• Land use,
• Buildings,
• Solid waste/wastewater, and
• Municipal operations

Examples of GHG Inventories

• Edmonds Community GHG Inventory – Offers a strong example of accounting for sector uses.
• King County Greenhouse gas emissions data – Offers links to all inventory reports and details progress towards meeting reduction goals.
• Tacoma 2030 Climate Action Plan Community GHG Inventory Dashboard – Inventories municipal and community GHGs every few years.
• Whatcom County Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trends (2024) – Includes community inventories, emissions factors, and a baseline comparison.

Recommended Resources

• Environmental Protection Agency GHG Inventory Tool – Includes pre-programmed emissions and jurisdiction parameters.
• ICLEI
  • Greenhouse Gas Protocols – Offers guidance for communities to account for carbon pollution accurately and consistently.
  • Global Protocol for Community-Scale GHG Inventories (2021) – Offers cities and local governments a robust, transparent, and globally accepted framework to consistently identify, calculate, and report on emissions.
• The Climate Registry – Sets consistent, transparent standards for North American businesses and governments to calculate, verify, and publicly report GHG emissions.

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets

Washington has enacted several state laws and commitments focused on GHG reduction, with the most recent being the Climate Commitment Act. These regulations are meant to limit emissions in some of the state’s highest emitting sectors, as well as set future targets for GHG permit trading and reduction.  

Statewide GHG reduction goals are to decrease emissions to 95% below 1990 emissions levels by 2050, with multiple milestones along the way. The 2021 State Energy Strategy provides a blueprint for how Washington can nearly eliminate the use of fossil fuels by 2050. Additionally, the Washington Climate Partnership's CCAP will serve as a roadmap for reducing GHG emissions and achieving state climate and energy mandates.

Local governments engaged in climate action planning also typically set their own reduction targets and identify strategies to meet those targets. Commerce developed a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Forecast and Scenario Planning Tool to help the 11 counties (and certain cities within those counties) that are required to create a GHG reduction sub element evaluate emissions scenarios and mitigation strategies. The Scenario Planning Tool estimates GHG from 2022 to 2050 under three scenarios depending on the degree of action taken to reduce emissions at the local level. More information is available on Commerce’s Climate Data and Policy Tools webpage.

 Such resources help local governments meet the state’s requirements for a climate element and help the state make progress on its overall climate goals. For more information, see our Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategies for Local Governments webpage.

Examples of Local Government GHG Reduction Targets

• Bellingham Climate Protection Action Plan (2018) – Tracks current GHG reduction targets and monitors progress.
• Whatcom County Climate Action Plan (2021) – Establishes goals and baseline measures for reducing GHG emissions.