11-127 - King County / Tukwila et al - Climate Collaboration

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IDKING COUNTY- aitles CLIMATE COLLABORATION PRINCIPLES FOR COLLABORATION 1. Climate change is the paramount challenge of our generation, and has fundamental and far - reaching consequences for our economy, environment, and public health and safety. 2. Strong action to reduce GHG emissions is needed, and the time is now. 3. Local governments can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through many decisions related to transportation and land use, energy and green building, forests and farms, and consumption and materials management. 4. Many cities in King County have set individual climate goals and are taking steps to reduce local GHG emissions, and we need to build on this leadership. 5. Local solutions need to be implemented in ways that build a cleaner, stronger and more resilient regional economy. 6. Progress will require deeper engagement with communities of color and low income, immigrant, and youth populations. These communities can be more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change —from increasing flood risks to rising costs of fossil fuels — and historically less likely to be included in community -scale solutions or as leaders. We are committed to work in ways that are fair, equitable, empowering, and inclusive and that also ensure that low income residents do not bear unfair costs of solutions. 7. Federal and state policies and laws can help us achieve our goals, but countywide and local policy, programs and partnerships are needed to fill the existing gap to achieve local GHG targets. 8. Progress will require deep partnerships between the County, cities, utilities, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and other public sector agencies. 9. King County and nine cities have formed the King County- Cities Climate Collaboration (K4C), and we will work to build on this initial pledge, both in increased action and increased participation from additional cities. 10. We can accomplish more with a shared vision and coordinated action; collaboration will increase the efficiency of our efforts and magnify the impact of our strategies beyond what each of us could achieve on our own. 11. Our cities support the shared vision that the Joint County -City Climate Commitments represent, but it is not the intention that each city will pursue every catalytic action. Cities and King County will actively pursue strategies where they have the most impact and influence. 12. We will reconvene at least annually to share progress. We also dedicate a staff point person from our cities and from the County to help coordinate implementation of the following Joint County -City Climate Commitments, and to serve as a point person to the K4C. 3