Climate Solutions' mission, achievements and goals

Climate Solutions mission is to accelerate practical and profitable solutions to global warming by galvanizing leadership, growing investment and bridging divides.

Our regional organizing approach is transforming the global warming debate in the region and laying the groundwork for a successful, multi-stakeholder climate action agenda. We’re generating fresh political momentum for energy and transportation solutions that benefit the region’s economy and quality-of-life.

Global warming is our generation’s greatest challenge and solving it is our greatest opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous future.

Climate Solutions Achievements and Goals

Climate Solutions leads climate and clean-energy initiatives in the Pacific Northwest, while supporting and building a strong base for strong national action.

We work with business, agriculture, environmentalists, government, and public interest groups to create practical and profitable climate and clean-energy policies that work for the environment and the economy.  

Climate Solutions successes include:

• Catalyzing the formation of the West Coast Governors Global Warming Initiative in 2003 and the Western Region Climate Action Initiative in 2007, bringing one of the world’s largest and most dynamic economies into the global campaign for solutions

• Helping to launch the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement – launched in Seattle in partnership with Climate Solutions – has enrolled over 650 communities covering 70 million Americans in a program to embrace Kyoto Protocol targets

• Orchestrating the passage of landmark Clean Car laws in Oregon and Washington, hailed by Gov. Gregoire as “the most significant environmental legislation in Washington State in a decade”

• Helping to secure strong renewable energy standards in Washington, Montana and Oregon; renewable energy incentives in Idaho; and emission performance standards for power that effectively close the West Coast power market to new, conventional coal power

• Positioning clean energy as a major economic development priority in the region championed by Governors, Legislatures, investors, and economic development leaders in all four Northwest states

• Building the Harvesting Clean Energy Network, nationally recognized as the most powerful clean energy organizing model for rural America. This program served as the model for Ag-Energy coalitions in three other major U.S. regions.

• Providing research, analytical, and organizational leadership for the emergence of “Smart Grid” technologies and businesses – infusing information and communications technology to the electric grid to enable a much cleaner, more efficient power system

• Leading the coalition to pass landmark Washington Climate Action and Green Jobs bill in 2008
  

• Launching Business Leaders for Climate Solutions, a group of executives, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists advocating for climate policy; and

• Partnering with Washington Environmental Council to launch the national 1Sky project (www.1Sky.org) and the 1Sky Washington campaign (www.1skywashington.org).  1Sky is dedicated to aggregating a massive nationwide movement by communicating a positive vision and a coherent set of national policies that rise to the scale of the climate challenge.

Our goals for 2009 include:

• Uniting a broad coalition of partners including Climate Solutions to advance the most ambitious package of climate policy yet: Repower Washington – The overall climate agenda for the Washington State Legislature:  Our goal is to build a clean-energy economy, create new green jobs and reduce global warming pollution. The package will include a system to cap greenhouse gas pollution and make emitters pay, funding for green jobs training, regulations to dramatically boost energy efficiency, and a bold state plan for transit-oriented and climate-friendly communities.

• Continuing to provide leadership in implementing the Western Climate Initiative, the largest regional effort to address climate change in the country

• Ensuring that the Northwest leads in taking hold of the historic opportunity to make the USA a global leader in addressing climate change

• Continuing to accelerate regional deployment of a new, clean energy system, including cleaner energy sources, smarter distribution, efficient buildings and electrified transportation.

Your continued support is critical to achieving our goals. Please make a donation to Climate Solutions and help us accelerate practical, clean-energy solutions to global warming.