Guiding Principles for Pierce County's 2030 Sustainability

and GHG Reduction Plan

The following guiding principles were identified to ensure that Pierce County remains cognizant of the connections between these principles and our desired GHG reduction actions. These six guiding principles were applied to develop the GHG reduction actions.

Embedding Equity

Frontline communities are those who face historical and current inequities in multiple ways, whether by being confronted with systemic barriers, being historically underserved, or both. These communities include those who are and will be disproportionately burdened by climate change, often experiencing the first and most acute impacts.

Pierce County recognizes the importance of ensuring frontline communities are included in the prioritization, implementation and future updates of Pierce County’s Sustainability 2030 Plan. While we all experience the impacts of climate change, we are not all affected the same. To reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) in Pierce County, we are committed to ensuring that these changes result in a more equitable Pierce County. This includes understanding which communities are most threatened by degraded environmental conditions and climate impacts (see map). Centering equity in our efforts to reduce GHGs also means running each external Plan action through an equity assessment, and centering frontline communities in Plan engagement and implementation (see Appendix 3). The benefits of GHG emissions reduction are abundant and should be experienced by all, and this is how we work towards equitable distribution.

Image from the WA State Health Dept’s Environmental Health Disparities Map, an interactive mapping tool that compares communities across WA state for environmental health disparities. High ranking areas face greater environmental health hazards and have less resources than lower ranked areas This tool provides insights into where public investments can be prioritized so that everyone can benefit from clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment.

Climate Impacts in Pierce County

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions trap heat in the atmosphere and are the leading cause of global temperature rise. Between 1895 and 2014, the Pacific Northwest warmed by +1.3 degrees Fahrenheit.[9] The significant impacts from this warming have been experienced in all seasons.[10]

In Pierce County we are experiencing increased flooding events, more extreme heat summer days (temperatures over 90F), acidification of Puget Sound, reduced snowpack, increased landslides, and more forest fires.[9] These destructive and life altering events not only impact the environment but have lasting effects on human health and the economy.

The graphic to the right outlines nine environmental impacts that our region must be prepared to address. The financial costs to repair or replace existing infrastructure damaged by these climaterelated events and the costs to human life as climate-related disease, illness, and mortality rise are significant. For more detailed information, please visit the Climate Change Explained webpage.

The climate impacts shown here pose challenges for everyone in Pierce County, now and into the future. However, the exposure, or the degree to which communities experience climate impacts, is not the same. Similarly, vulnerability, or the extent to which communities can cope with climate impacts, varies across communities and individuals. Both exposure and vulnerability ultimately determine an individual’s or community’s level of risk.

Some of our communities are more at risk of certain climate impacts than others. Communities in east Pierce County are much more likely to be impacted by wildfires whereas coastal communities and those in river valleys are more likely to be impacted by flooding.

Impacts on human health

Warmer dryer summers with more excessive heat day and wildfire smoke will affect community members who are elderly, work outdoors, are pregnant, do not have access to home cooling and air filtration or are unhoused, or have underlying heart and lung conditions. During the 2021 summer heat dome, 28 people in Pierce County died due to heat-related health issues.[1] Flooding caused by increased winter rainfall or sea level rise can pollute waters, impacting those living in flooded areas as well as the safety of shellfish harvesting downstream. Damage to infrastructure from sea level rise, storms, or heat can also result in hazards that cause injury. Lack of access to nature for recreation, cultural and spiritual practices, and traditional foods due to climate impacts can affect physical and mental health. Many youth have expressed anxiety about recent extreme weather events and the uncertainty of a future in a changing climate (see quotes below).

Impacts on wildlife

Just as warmer temperatures and flooding impact human health, they also affect the health of plants and animals in Pierce County. Warm dry summers reduce summertime stream flows and increase water temperature causing toxic algae blooms and heat stress for freshwater animals. Pollution resulting from flooding events also affects freshwater and marine species. Rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere causes our oceans to become more acidic which puts stress on marine animals. Less snowpack and more winter rain can lead to erosion and sedimentation in our rivers that destroy hillsides and stream habitats for salmon fry. Some local tree species are not well adapted for hot dry summers which is leading to tree die offs, making our forests more susceptible to wildfires and landslides.

Impacts on the economy

As valuable resources and natural lands are lost due to climate change, industries such as tourism, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries will suffer. Longer periods of drought may require more irrigation on local farms, straining drinking water resources. Reduced snowpack and glacial melt affect drinking water availability and wintertime recreation. Work time will be lost due to health impacts and climate hazards. Flooded bridges and docks, homes lost to wildfires, roads collapsed by landslides, and heat-stressed powerlines will create new costly expenses for residents and public agencies. More households will need to invest in air conditioning and filter fans to stay cool and may have to pay more medical bills due to climate-related health impacts. Beyond our local economy, global supply chains will be threatened by climate change, potentially destabilizing markets and increasing the cost of necessities like foodstuffs.

Comments from Washington High School Students:

“I was 5-8 years old in Washington summer and I was outside just relaxing but it was so hot that I began to sweat and get dizzy, and I was scared so I called for my mom and she ran out to find me having a heat stroke. Also, this past summer there was so much smoke that my mom has struggled to breathe.” – Al

“Climate change affects us … It’s starting to get way hotter than what we are used to and if [temperature] goes up too much then that could mean our trees would die that give us oxygen. Our animals and fish would be gone which is our food supply and us people would probably be gone as well. It makes me feel emotional and worried about my house or land catching on fire.”

“In summer 2022 I was affected by climate change … It got to the point where there were wildfires and very smokey air and caused me to have asthma attacks more often.

“It [climate change] is making me anxious and a little afraid for a lot of reasons. Such as being worried about family and friends from different states. Not to mention it being hotter and colder.”

“I like to go fishing but climate change is affecting that because it messes with the seasons, so it messes with the fish.” – Aidan

“With the hotter climate every year, it gets harder for my family to stay cool in the summer months. We live in an apartment and aren’t allowed an AC as we live on the third story. Every summer we have to get one to two new fans. It is getting harder to afford the fans, meaning it gets harder to stay cool. On top of this, we live in an area that gets hit with a lot smoke from the uncontrolled wildfires. This leads into us getting sick and can’t breathe because of the smoke. It also means that the windows have to be shut when it’s smokey, meaning it is even harder to stay cool.” – Tristin