Multnomah County Cutting Emissions

Posted by: engel | 22 Nov 07 | Leave a comment | Permalink

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There's no doubt about it: the most environmentally friendly county in Oregon today is Multnomah County, which includes the greenhouse emission-cutting superstar, Portland. The County's two largest cities - Portland and Gresham - have endorsed the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Portland has become a national leader in the fight against climate change, having already reduced emissions to below their 1990 levels. And, it now turns out, the county as a whole has cut emissions to just 0.1 percent above what they were in 1990; this despite a 15% increase in population since that year.

The report containing this good news was presented early this month to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, and the Portland City Council. It is good news for communities all over Oregon - and, in fact, across the country - because it shows that real progress toward staving off global warming is possible. If the IPCC report released last week is a call to urgent action, highlighting the fact that we have very little time to prevent catastrophic climate change, then Multnomah County's success should be a beacon of hope. Other communities can do what they have already done.

Of course, in Oregon's other communities, strategies for reducing greenhouse emissions will not look the same as they do in Multnomah County. Every local government should pursue the method that works best for it - the important thing is that emissions, one way or another, go down. In Washington County, for instance - which contains more rural areas than Multnomah County - solutions to climate change may look very different. What Multnomah County and Portland show is that, whatever strategy you pursue, it is possible to make drastic cuts in greenhouse emissions - even as the local economy booms. For communities across the state, this is a timely realization.

ASK THE WASHINGTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS TO DO AS WELL AS MULTNOMAH!

-Nick

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About Me

engel
Hillsboro, OR USA

Student at Pacific University

ENGEL: Environmental ethics; New leadership; Green development; Economic sustainability; Local action! As a student activist, I am working to bring attention to global warming in Oregon. Most of my work takes place at the local level; I have convinced my own city of Hillsboro, OR, to sign onto the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, and I am now working to get Washington County, OR to sign onto the county-level version of this same pledge. On my blog ENGEL (acronym explained above), I report on local government actions all over the state which either help or hinder the climate movement; there are lots of opportunities for readers of this blog to help contribute to the climate movement by making their voices heard; whether in city or county governments, at school, or anywhere else. Please help me make change in Oregon! -Nick

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