Global warming solutions
OEC believes Oregon can demonstrate climate leadership by taking the steps necessary to curb global warming pollution and adopt solutions that will stimulate state growth in a new energy economy.
Why We Care
Everything in our lives ultimately connects to the climate around us, from food production to water supplies to health. Oregon is already feeling the impacts of global climate change. Our region is warming, average annual precipitation has increased, land on the central and northern Oregon coast is being submerged by rising sea level, and snow pack has declined precipitously. A 2004 Scientific Consensus Statement indicates these trends will continue:
- Changes in the hydrological system will result in coastal and river flooding, continued snow pack declines and lower summer river flows.
- Oregon will see an increase in unhealthy air days, as hotter summertime temperatures generate more smog. A longer pollen season will make life more uncomfortable for people with asthma and allergies, and cases of insect-born diseases will increase.
- Drier summers will lead to drought and vulnerability of forests to fire, disease and insects.
- The effects of global warming on agriculture will include reduced water supply, increased pests and diseases, and changed growing seasons and conditions that may require different crops.
The economic consequences of global warming cannot be ignored. Key Oregon industries — agriculture and forestry — will be dramatically disrupted. Loss of hydroelectric power will impact energy costs. Oregon’s ski industry could disappear.
What We Do
Curbing global warming pollution requires action from individuals, businesses, communities, states and countries. OEC promotes public policies to slow global warming and shares solutions that individuals and businesses can easily employ to protect our climate. We advocate for comprehensive global warming policies that address emissions from the major sectors in Oregon’s economy while laying the groundwork for a new clean energy economy with an abundance of green jobs.
OEC has helped achieve major state action on global warming, including adoption of clean car standards that will cut global warming pollution from cars by 30% by 2016, a low-carbon fuel standard that will cut global warming pollution from transportation fuels by 10% by 2020, and the nation’s second strongest state-level greenhouse gas reduction goals. We participated in the Western Climate Initiative to develop a regional carbon cap-and-invest system, now being forwarded at the national level.
Promoting Policy
OEC advocates for public policies that responsibly address global warming, with a particular emphasis on transportation, as more than one-third of Oregon’s global warming pollution is generated by the movement of people and goods. We are promoting greater transportation choices and working to ensure robust implementation of the low-carbon fuel standard through Environmental Quality Commission rulemaking.
A major focus of our efforts is outreach to metropolitan areas outside of Portland about the imperative to reduce global warming from cars and trucks, the benefits of doing so, and how local governments can increase opportunities for shorter driving trips and for more walking, biking, and transit use.
OEC is also preparing comprehensive global warming policy proposals for consideration by the 2011 Oregon Legislature.
Mobilizing Oregonians
OEC spearheads Cool Oregon, a broad coalition of businesses, local governments and other organizations that are committed to ensuring Oregon’s success in meeting the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals. The coalition provides a forum for members to demonstrate political resolve to make progress on climate change action and support ongoing local and state efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
More than 3,500 individuals across Oregon are part of OEC’s Climate Coolers network, which provides actionable tips for reducing ones individual carbon footprint, and alerts concerned Oregonians of opportunities to support protective public policies.
Engaging Agriculture and Other Oregon Businesses
OEC provides information about the potential effects of global warming on Oregon agriculture, adaptation strategies, and ways agriculture can benefit from solutions to global warming by selling greenhouse gas reduction credits for emission reducing practices.
Thirty wineries are participating in our Carbon Neutral Challenge for Oregon Wineries partnership with the Oregon Wine Board. This initiative assists wineries in assessing and reducing their carbon footprints by connecting them with expert consultation and incentives. At least a dozen will complete the program in 2010, creating a model for their industry and beyond.
Likewise, our Climate Friendly Nurseries project is a partnership with the Oregon Association of Nurseries to help nurseries use energy and other resources more efficiently, reduce costs, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
OEC’s On the Way to Carbon Neutral is a roadmap for small and medium-sized businesses to reduce their carbon footprint.
How You Can Get Involved
Find out right now what you can do to slow global warming – at home, when shopping, at school and work, and when you’re on the go. Lend your voice to the growing chorus of those who are demanding corporate and government action by signing up for Oregon Environmental Council Action Alerts. If you represent a business or organization, join Cool Oregon, a coalition that supports the goal of reducing Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions to 75% below 1990 levels by 2050.
