Seattle Climate Action Plan Review

Assessment of Seattle Climate Action Plan
The Seattle Climate Action Plan, which was espoused in 2003, purposes to offer a synchronized and organized strategy for action that encompasses the functions of the City, and lays emphasis on actions of the City that diminish greenhouse gas emissions and at the same time supporting community objectives, together with constructing vibrant vicinities, cultivating economic affluence, and augmenting social impartiality and fairness. The structure of the climate action plan encompasses actions that concentrate on aspects of paramount need and impact, which consist of building energy, road transportation, and waste. In addition, the climate action plan takes into account actions that will augment the spirit of the Seattle community to the probable impacts of climate change (Coven, 2017). The Climate Action Plan is configured into two aspects, which include the actions to carry out by 2015 and actions to carry out by 2030. The former consists of the temporary actions that ought to start in the forthcoming three years to conduct new conceptions, test new strategies and lay the basis for longer term action. The latter, on the other hand, consists of longstanding actions that will take time to execute but are vital for meeting the climate protection goals and objectives of Seattle (Coven, 2017).
Climate change is outlined as a global challenge that necessitated invention and creativity, sensible solutions, assured leadership, and individual action. As outlined by Coven (2017), climate change is a test of significant extent and importance, which will necessitate all and sundry to bring into play the amazing capability for resilience and invention. Owing to climate change, all through the nation in 2012, Americans experienced highest ever heat, highest ever drought, and major storms and whirlwinds that took significant monetary and human tolls. The knowledge of climate change gives the suggestion that it ought to be expected to experience more of what was perceived in 2012 in the forthcoming years. The main objective of the Seattle Climate Action Plan is to make the city carbon neutral. This means having zero net emissions of greenhouse gases. Seattle purposes to accomplish this objective by the year 2050 and a great deal of the extensive work is to be implemented in the forthcoming 15 years. This is a step in the right direction with respect to having a positive impact on global climate change.
There are various stakeholders that were involved in the formulation of the Seattle climate action plan or strategy. They consisted of the residents, businesses, specialists in subject matter as well as community leaders in Seattle. To begin with, carbon neutral community groups that were assembled and brought together by the Seattle City Council, pinpointed and ascertained actions that the city could undertake in the transitory period to make headway on to the objective of being carbon neutral. From this group of stakeholders, it was ascertained that “Getting to Zero,” a piece of evidence of conception analysis delineated a prospective path to carbon neutrality, which established deep emission decreases were in theory conceivable with adequate finance and backing from the community. Third, there are the technical advisory groups (TAGS) that consist of a group of sector specialists. This group of stakeholders ascertained a variety of actions within the transportation, land use, building energy, and waste sectors that would economically and efficiently diminish emissions, and make a contribution to attaining other objectives of the community. In addition, a Green Ribbon Commission (GRC) of civic, eco-friendly, and business front-runners took into consideration the technical advisory group recommendation and included their individual ideas and standpoints to come up with suggestions in the sectors being taken into account by the TAGS and for being prepared for the effects of climate change. Lastly, the public also played a vital role. In particular, they offered feedback and responses all the way through the procedure through website remarks and community gatherings, together with targeted outreach to nine underserved group of people where consultations were held in residents’ native dialects and vicinities (Coven, 2017).
The parties responsible for the implementation of the climate action plan is the city government. The leadership of the city have significant control and impact over policy making as well as the assets that are fundamental to its endeavors of climate action. The city government is liable for steering the action plan set out. However, it is imperative to note that such implementation has to be undertaken in tandem with the federal and state governments. The federal government and the governments of every respective state share control regarding several systems pertinent to city climate action, for example environmental safety regulations, energy source, transportation financing and waste-management principles (Innovation Network for Communities, 2016).
Seattle’s Climate Action Plan has its strengths and weaknesses. One of the key strong suits of the action plan is that despite the fact that the measures undertaken to reduce emissions would have minimal impact on the global climate and those prospective threats, the plan clearly shows what one city can undertake to significantly diminish its own sources of greenhouse gases. Basically, the plan insists on making Seattle carbon neutral. Basically, the main objective of the plan is to ensure that Seattle does not have any greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. The benefits of this plan encompass not only in decreases GHG emissions but also in constructing a city that is more habitable and accommodating. If all the steps and measures outlined in the plan are undertaken, it will make it possible to create a city that all residents wish to live in, that has air that is less polluted and cleaner as well as one that is safer to walk and use bikes (Thompson, 2013). There is also the benefit of the economy of Seattle as a while in the sense that it profits from decreased usage of fossil-fuel within its system of transportation. In addition, the plan is beneficial in coping with global climate change.
Despite the numerous upsides pointed out, the plan does have its shortcomings. To begin with, the action plan will almost without a doubt be costly. This is largely for the reason that it calls for new financing to enhance and enlarge bus service, to construct and develop the infrastructure to make it safer for the people to walk or move around with their bicycles. There is also the need for funding in order to construct out the expanse’s light-rail system. All of these actions are purposed to decrease and diminish the roughly 40 percent of greenhouse gases that emanates from cars and lorries (Thompson, 2013). Another shortcoming of the action plan is that the city cannot implement it by itself and its own terms. This is for the reason that several aspects within the plan are reliant on enabling policies being carried out by federal and state governments. The downside to this is that of the governments are slow or hesitant, then it can be largely difficult for the city to accomplish its goals and objectives. There is also the weakness that buildings in the city will necessitate going through major renovation and overhaul or change of use in order for them to come near the energy performance requirement for new buildings (Emerald Cities, 2017).




References
Coven, J. F. (2017). Seattle Climate Action Plan. Seattle.gov: Office of Sustainability & Environment.
Emerald Cities. (2017). Seattle City Council Climate Action Plan Resolution Summary. Retrieved from: http://emeraldcities.org/cities/seattle/resources/summary-of-seattle-city-council-climate-action-plan-resolutio
Innovation Network for Communities. (2016). Leadership by U.S cities: innovations in climate action. Retrieved from: http://www.in4c.net/climate-change.pdf
Thompson, L. (2013). Seattle plan would make city carbon neutral by 2050. The Seattle Times. Retrieved from: http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-plan-would-make-city-carbon-neutral-by-2050/