Climate change is not only the greatest environmental issue of our time, but also a key issue for social justice, world health, immigration and more. The observed impacts of climate change have already affected agriculture, human health, ecosystems on land and in the oceans, water supplies, and some people’s livelihoods. It touches all of the Local 20/20 Action Groups in some way. The goal of the Local 20/20 Climate Group is to work in collaboration with our other action groups and other local organizations to focus on Jefferson County opportunities to:
• reduce our community’s greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation)
• prepare for climate change (adaptation)
There was a higher than average predicted tide on November 4th (8.77′ predicted) along with a strong SE wind (30 kts gusting to 43 kts), which gave us another chance to visualize the higher sea levels that will become more often in the future due to global sea level rise,…
There was a higher than average predicted tide on October 18th (8.95′ predicted) along with a somewhat strong ESE wind (25 kts gusting to 40 kts), which gave us another chance to visualize the higher sea levels that will become more often in the future due to global sea level…
The June 26th Local 20/20 Port Townsend Leader column discussed the pros and cons of burning wood, and highlights some new rebates for replacing or upgrading wood stoves. By Cyndy Bratz Using wood for heat is something humans have done for more than 50,000 years. A crackling fire has…
The June Local 20/20 Port Townsend Leader column highlighted two current opportunities for local businesses to obtain funding and/or low interest loans for renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements, as well as increasing climate resiliency of buildings. See the full article below. New Energy and Resiliency Funding Opportunities for…
In the April Local 20/20 column in the Port Townsend Leader, Dave Thielk shares details of the second annual Moving in the Right Direction Conference. (The conference happened on 4/19/24, this article was published ahead of the conference.) Moving in the Right Direction By David Thielk The City of Port…
Washington Department of Ecology declared a drought emergency for most of Washington on 4/19/24, including for Jefferson County. Local 20/20 has created a new Water Resources page that has a variety of information about water resources in Jefferson County, and what you can do. Last updated:Friday, April 26, 2024
The Local 20/20 Climate Group brings to reality our community’s commitment to taking action on climate change. Here’s just some of what we do:
• Co-organizers of the 2022 Car Free Day.
• Collaborating on the Climate on Tap series.
• Maintain the JeffersonCAN.org webpages that have a variety of resources for reducing one’s carbon footprint, including new resources for Electric Vehicles added in 2022.
• Summarized the 2018 IPCC 1.5’C Special Report and the US 4th National Assessment reports with a focus on how it applies to Jefferson County, WA.
• Provide up-to-date information for individuals and businesses on ways to reduce their carbon footprint. (See the JeffersonCAN website, originally created by the Climate Protection Campaign to provide tools for reducing the “carbon footprint” of an individual or business in Jefferson County,and now maintained by Local 20/20 Climate Action.)
• Participated in the Planning for Climate Change on the North Olympic Peninsula Project in 2014-2015, and currently participating in the follow on NODC Regional and Local Climate Planning project.
• Educate ourselves and others on how we as a community can prepare for climate change. A few examples:
• We help the community visualize sea level rise through participating in the King Tides project in partnership with Washington Sea Grant and the Jefferson Marine Resource Committee. We have been photographing, documenting, and learning from photographing three sites in Port Townsend at high tides and under various weather conditions. Check out the photos here.
• We developed a handout for homeowners on how climate change might impact their homes and how they can prepare. And participated in the Jefferson County Drought Forum in 2015.
• Help drive emission reduction projects through partnering with groups, and through projects such as the Taming Bigfoot Carbon Footprint Reduction Contest run in early 2016
• Collaborated closely with the Local 20/20 Energy Action Group. The two groups have now merged into this climate action group. You can find the Energy Action group pages here, but note that they are no longer maintained.
Additionally, we are the arm of Local 20/20 that networks and collaborates with “outside” groups focused on climate change, including the joint city/county Climate Action Committee (CAC), Olympic Climate Action, etc.
See our Climate Change Plans and Impacts Page for information on local and statewide climate change plans and impacts. And if you are looking for other ideas for personal action, see Taking Action on Climate Change. Finally, our Other Resources page has some reading suggestions and … other resources!
There is a Climate Working Group, covering both Climate Outreach and Climate Adaptation. It generally meets monthly, see the Local 20/20 Calendar for current times/days. We welcome new members. If you are interested in participating e-mail us at CAG@L2020.org.
Contact us at CAG@L2020.org.
