Seattle Times Opinion: Uphold Washington's Climate Commitment Act

As climate discussions at COP28 come to a close this week, our ongoing need to rapidly reduce emissions and address climate change while prioritizing equity are front of mind for many. Washington’s Climate Commitment Act does just that. It’s our contribution toward global climate goals and to the well-being and resilience of our own communities here in Washington.

In the face of challenges to this foundational climate legislation, Alyssa Macy, David Mendoza, and Gregg Small—leadership from Washington Conservation Action, TNC, and Climate Solutions—shared their thoughts in a Seattle Times opinion piece about its essential role in building a resilient and equitable future for generations to come.

A PDF of the opinion article is available here.

Featured image: Waterfall below a forest canopy. © Paul Brennan/TNC Photo Contest 2022

Featured
Earth Day Illustrates the Path Toward Climate and Community Resilience
Earth Day Illustrates the Path Toward Climate and Community Resilience

Earth Day was born out of a movement to improve the lives of people and nature, inspiring sweeping legislative action and investments. Today, federal infrastructure funding and WA Climate Commitment Act are a continuation of this movement, investments making a tangible impact locally. As an example, Washington’s historic funding of the Floodplains by Design program is contributing to nature-based floodplain management across the state to reduce flood risk, protect communities and protect salmon habitat. These state and federal dollars are just the start of local climate action that will improve the daily lives and the future of all Washingtonians.

The 2024 Legislative Session: Reflections on Advancing Climate Action
The 2024 Legislative Session: Reflections on Advancing Climate Action

The Washington State Legislature wrapped up its 2024 session. We celebrate new investments in climate resilience and the clean energy transition, while reflecting on the complex dynamics of protecting our state’s Climate Commitment Act.

Our Priorities for the 2024 State Legislative Session
Our Priorities for the 2024 State Legislative Session

The 2024 state legislative session is underway! The Nature Conservancy’s highest priority for the 2024 legislative session is ensuring the success of the Climate Commitment Act (CCA). With revenue from the CCA cap-and-invest program, we have an opportunity this session to make big investments in Natural Climate Solutions, a just transition, Environmental Justice Council recommendations, and investments to attract federal climate funding.

FOLLOW US

GET UPDATES

INSTAGRAMS

View fullsize The thing about today is... It's Monday! No other day could get the week off to such a great start. ― Anthony T. Hincks . . . #northwestnature 📸by @naturegirlangie
View fullsize Hi! I'm a rough-skinned newt. I may looks small and fragile, but I have an unusual defense mechanism. My skin can produce a powerful neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin. The toxin prevents nerve cells from firing correctly, which ultimately causes paralys
View fullsize Hi! I'm a banana slug. I use my slime to breathe, to move and to attract water. In fact my slime absorbs 100 times its volume in water. It helps me move along the ground and even climb up trees. My slime is a liquid crystal that acts both like a lubr
View fullsize I like the mountains because they make me feel small,' Jeff says. 'They help me sort out what's important in life.' ― Mark Obmascik, "Halfway to Heaven: My White-knuckled--and Knuckleheaded--Quest for the Rocky Mountain High" . . . #northwe
View fullsize Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity ― John Muir, "Our National Parks" . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @nonay_movingsoul
View fullsize It is advisable to look from the tide pool to the stars and then back to the tide pool.☄ — John Steinbeck . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @seattlenorthcountry
View fullsize Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them. ― Marcus Aurelius . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @browneyedsmile808
View fullsize Here in the corner attic of America, two hours’ drive from a rain forest, a desert, a foreign country, an empty island, a hidden fjord, a raging river, a glacier, and a volcano is a place where the inhabitants sense they can do no better, nor d
View fullsize We are lucky that mountains exist; we are lucky that we have such beautiful sanctuaries on earth where we can enjoy utter silence and heavenly rise! ― Mehmet Murat ildan . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @kylekotajarvi
View fullsize A little tranquil lake is more significant to my life than any big city in the world. ― Munia Khan . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @nowandbren
View fullsize
View fullsize Pika says, Happy Friday! . . The pika doesn't look it, but it is related to rabbits. The relationship to rabbits and hares comes out in its nickname. The pika is known for sending up a shrill whistle and diving into a hiding place when it spots a pre
View fullsize This is what we see when we look up at Rainier, the beauty, the horror, the awe the unbelievability of size that confirms our own consequence on this earth. We look at the mountain, like god and can imagine nothing larger. Its incompressible life-spa
View fullsize @ross.eckert found the place where summer meets winter. . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @ross.eckert
View fullsize Life is a blank canvas, and you need to throw all the paint on it you can. ― Danny Kaye . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @coryzanker
View fullsize To go out with the setting sun on an empty beach is to truly embrace your solitude. — Jeanne Moreau . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @frankleeruggles

TWEETS