Resources

Use the following resources to learn more about climate action at the local level.

PCA slide decks, videos, and recordings

Check out these resources from PCA events:

Slide decks and recording from Cities Climate Action Webinar: Focus on Buildings held online on May 2, 2020.
Slide decks and video from Cities Climate Summit II held on May 11, 2019 on Mercer Island.
Cities Climate Summit Slide deck (25Mb) held on November 17, 2018 in Kirkland.

Resources about climate action in cities

The Carbon-Free City Handbook is an outstanding guide from the Rocky Mountain Institute (Nov 2017).
Portland, OR’s Climate Action Plan lists over 150 actions and indicates the relative carbon-reducing potential of the actions, along with flagging actions that can improve other environmental issues, the economy, health, and/or equity.
Seven Challenges for Energy Transformation, summary. This report maps seven critical areas for energy sector transformation and calls for breakthrough global climate action (Rocky Mountain Institute, Nov 2019).
Translating Climate Science Into Action, a blog post from C40 Cities that describes a couple of reports including For Cities By Cities: Key Takeaways for City Decision Makers from the IPCC 1.5°C Report. C40 Cities is a worldwide network of cities taking climate action and sharing information to increase the knowledge available to all cities.
Cascadia Climate Action Calendar lists important climate-related events in our region.

Resources about reducing emissions from the building sector

Along with transportation, the building sector is one of the major sources of climate emissions in cities. The following resources outline key steps for reducing emissions in buildings:

Achieving Zero: a framework for phasing out CO2 emissions in the urban built environment by mid-century. Includes a framework for accelerating energy upgrades in existing buildings.
Shift Zero: the Zero Net Carbon Building Alliance.
Carbon Smart Building: includes information and tools for choosing carbon smart building materials.
Architecture 2030, whose mission is “to rapidly transform the built environment from the major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions to a central solution to the climate crisis.”