2013 Climate Action Plan: Progress Report
2013 Climate Action Plan: Progress Report
Executive Summary | Full Report | Appendix |Press Release
Seattle's 2013 Climate Action Plan was a coordinated strategy that included both short-term and long-term actions to reduce Seattle’s emissions and enhance community wellbeing, resilience, and environmental justice. As Seattle prepares to create a new Climate Action Plan in 2026, we are assessing the progress made since 2013. Through documenting accomplishments and identifying barriers in a Progress Report, we are laying a foundation that can help us consider new ideas and new needs that have emerged over the last 12 years.
The Progress Report finds Seattle completed or made significant progress on more than half (88 of 148) of the actions in the 2013 Plan, while also advancing projects outside the plan. These efforts contributed to a 5.7% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2014 to 2022.
Transportation & Land Use
Significant progress or completion on 38 of 51 actions. Overall transportation emissions reduction of 14% from 2008 to 2022, or 32% per capita.
Building Energy
Significant progress or completion on 21 of 41 actions. Overall building sector emissions reduction of 6% from 2008 to 2022, or 26% per capita.
Waste
Significant progress or completion on 12 of 29 actions. Overall waste sector emissions reduction of 31% from 2008 to 2022, or 45% per capita.
Preparing for Climate Change
Significant progress or completion on 17 of 24 actions. Advanced climate data collection on heat, flooding, and infrastructure to strengthen preparedness for climate change impacts.
Notable Accomplishments
The City was most successful in increasing opportunities for low GHG emission transportation trips, developing codes and policies that reduce building and transportation emissions, decreasing food and building material waste, collecting important climate-related data, and expanding programs for building energy efficiency, weatherization, and electrification.
Rapid Ride Bus Expansion
A growing number of frequent, reliable, and fast buses give people more transportation options while reducing overall emissions.
Growing Urban Villages
Through careful planning and more than 60,000 new housing units in urban centers and villages, thousands of people now have more convenient local trips that don’t rely on cars.
Building Emissions Performance Standards
Policies like Building Emissions Performance Standards, signed into law in 2023, are projected to reduce building sector emissions by 27% by 2050.
Producers of Waste
One of many innovative regulatory efforts, the Extended Producer Responsibility law makes producers responsible for end-of-life waste, encouraging reusable and recyclable product design.
Challenges
Although Seattle has completed or made significant progress on 88 of 148 actions in the 2013 Plan and put into practice a number of additional climate actions not covered in the 2013 Plan, the city is not on track to meet its climate goals. Key challenges since 2013 have been in areas where the City had a lack of jurisdictional control, high cost or challenging financing, improved compliance needed, differing priorities, and limited market demand.
What's Next
The past 12 years have also illuminated where the 2026 plan can address gaps. An assessment of the public health impacts of climate change and targeted actions to improve health are an important new area of focus for the future. Strengthening how we adapt to the changing climate now, while continuing to reduce emissions and create more measurable indicators of progress, have also become more important.