Global Warming in Washington
Atlantis Effect Rising Sea Level Worries Wash Shoreline Areas - 09/05/07
Washington's low-lying capital city is a bit nervous in planning a new $38 million City Hall near the shoreline of Puget Sound, fearing that global warming and rising waters could submerge much of the downtown in this century and create looming insurance issues.
Climate change experts say one of the most profound and visible effects of global warming will be felt along the thousands of miles of shoreline along the Pacific Coast and the Sound, where even a rise of a few feet can submerge vast acres of prime farm, forest, businesses and residential land, sending folks heading for higher ground and new ways of coping.
Experts predict the global sea level rise could increase as much as 23 inches in the next hundred years.
Living on the southernmost shores of Puget Sound, Olympia leaders and townspeople are used to keeping watchful eye on the sea, since tidal surges can waterlog or threaten a downtown built on mud-flats and fill.
One of the state's epicenters of environmental activism, Olympia wrote its first sea-level assessment 14 years ago and created global warming panels even before that. The city holds community "call to action" forums, complete with scary map projections of how downtown would look like under various scenarios.
The rise is tied to heating and expansion of the ocean, melting of the polar ice sheets and storm surges that can affect tides by at foot or more.
Global warming to cost us - 01/11/07
Global warming is known to be destructive, but a study released Wednesday shows it also will be expensive, costing Washington state and its residents millions of dollars in higher prices and remedial measures.
Climbing temperatures over the next 40 years will boost the cost of timber, water and crops, cause twice the wildfire damage that occurs now, exacerbate health issues and require expensive shoring-up to avoid damage to Tacoma, Willapa Bay and other low-lying areas.
Those are the top-level conclusions reached in "Impacts of Climate Change on Washington's Economy," a 118-page, $100,000 study prepared by researchers from Washington and Oregon.
"It's safe to say that virtually every aspect of the state's economy will be affected by climate change," said co-author Bob Doppelt, director of the Climate Leadership Initiative at the University of Oregon, in a teleconference after the study's release.
But Janice Adair, special assistant to Ecology Director Jay Manning, said the state had been waiting for the study to augment efforts to cope with the effects of climate change.
"I can't say that we have any initiatives currently under way" directly addressing climate change, she said. But she said a number of other projects, such as retrofitting school buses to reduce diesel emissions and electrifying truck stops to reduce idling, are already curbing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, which are the major cause of global warming.
State study shows economic challenges opportunities from climate change - 01/10/07
A team of scientists and economists evaluated climate change in producing the state report, "Impacts of Climate Change on Washington's Economy." The study warns that economic effects are likely to grow in the Pacific Northwest as temperatures increase.
A warming Pacific Northwest, extreme weather, reduced snow pack and sea level rise are four major ways climate change is disrupting Washington's economy, environment and communities.
After reviewing the report, Ecology Director Jay Manning said: "This study documents ongoing economic impact from climate change, and predicts even more significant economic disruption in Washington. Our regional scientists expect our climate to warm three times faster than it has during the 20th century, and absent focused efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to prepare, to the extent possible, for the environmental and economic changes that cannot be avoided, damage to our northwest economy will only increase."
Juli Wilkerson, who directs Washington's Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, said: "This is a global issue and we're already connected to trading partners who are facing climate change issues along with us. If we're flexible and responsive, we can seize opportunities to help reduce climate change effects and benefit our region economically. Our ability to export technology and expertise can help us all prepare for climate changes and it effects," she added.
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