Climate & Environment Highlights

Published in

KingCounty

4 min readApr 22, 2024

During Earth Week and year-round, King County is taking action to fight climate change and protect and restore our natural environment.

We’re working together across county departments and the recently created Executive Climate Office, established last year to advance and unify the county’s climate actions. Here’s a look at our work:

1. Helping households switch to clean energy

King County is installing heat pumps in more than 100 low- and moderate-income homes in Skyway and White Center at up to 100% cost coverage. This new Energize Program gives more families access to heat pumps, which are the most efficient, environmentally friendly way to heat and cool a home using clean electricity rather than fossil fuels.

There’s also a new tool available to help households make clean energy upgrades: The Switch Is On. King County partnered with The Switch Is On to share information about what incentives households could qualify for from local, state and federal governments, and utilities.

2. Improving stream health throughout the county

Twenty years of data collected by King County field scientists indicates that local streams are getting healthier, and even those most harmed by human activity can improve when we take the right actions. This progress shows that we can accommodate our region’s growing population and restore the natural environment. Read more in the Seattle Times.

Executive Constantine and scientists survey a local stream.

3. Strengthening wildfire preparedness, response & recovery

King County partnered with communities, fire departments, natural resource agencies, utilities and others to develop the region’s first Wildfire Risk Reduction Strategy. The strategy includes 12 actions to improve preparedness, response and recovery as the potential for wildfire increases due to climate change. More than 350,000 residents, about 15% of King County’s population, live in areas where people and infrastructure are at greater risk when wildfires occur.

A county map on an easel in front of a fire department vehicle.

4. Restoring access to high-quality salmon habitat

King County has made significant gains restoring access to salmon habitat and has started a decade of projects to reopen at least 50% of the stream habitat currently blocked by county-owned roads and trails. Fish Passage Restoration Program experts estimate that by 2032 these projects will allow access for salmon to freely swim to more than 250 stream miles.

5. Growing living wage opportunities in green jobs

King County launched the Green Jobs Strategy to create a diverse and skilled workforce for the clean energy sector, with a focus on frontline communities impacted by climate change.

As part of that strategy, we’re hosting community events to connect job seekers with green career opportunities, working with local businesses and training providers to create training programs for clean energy jobs (like heat pump and solar installation) and making it easier for people to apply for green jobs at King County through application clinics.

6. Protecting 65,000 acres of natural land & green space

King County voters overwhelmingly approved Executive Dow Constantine’s initiative that restored local conservation funding to its original rate, rapidly accelerating preservation of forests, trails, river corridors, farmland and urban green space. This has helped advance the Land Conservation Initiative to protect 65,000 acres of open space.

7. Preparing the Puget Sound region for heat waves

Experts in public health, climate preparedness and emergency management are working with local communities to develop King County’s first Extreme Heat Mitigation Strategy to prepare the region for increasing summer heat and the potential for more heat waves caused by climate change.

8. Transitioning to a zero-emission transit fleet

King County Metro is one of the only large transit agencies in the U.S. working toward a 100% zero-emissions fleet by 2035. A zero-emission fleet powered by renewable energy will cut emissions, lower maintenance costs, improve air quality and reduce noise pollution.