Climate Change
The body of information about global, national and regional climate change is growing by the day. In 2002, the Washington State Legislature authorized the WSU Energy Program to establish the Climate Change and Rural Development Center.
Climate change in Washington State and the Pacific Northwest
Information on how climate change may affect our state is provided by the Washington State Department of Ecology. The department is responsible for tracking greenhouse gas emissions in our state.
Washington State University (WSU) extension Energy Program Areas of Expertise:
The WSU Extension Energy Program is involved in many programs that will help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, the main source of greenhouse gas emissions. The left hand column of this page provides links to the Extension Energy Program’s current projects. These projects include: Building Science, Distributed Energy, Industrial Services, Renewables (including solar, wind, geothermal, bioenergy and ocean wave energy), and Resource Efficiency Management.
The WSU Extension Energy Program also provides Washington State Energy Code support for new residential construction. New construction standards are expected to cut residential natural gas consumption significantly over the next 15 years, averting an estimated 1.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the same period.
Other Washington State University resources:
Rural areas play an important role in the development of renewable energy resources. A growing number of rural landowners are leasing their land for wind farms. Farmers grow crops such as corn and soybeans for the production of ethanol and other alternative fuels. WSU is involved in supporting these efforts. The following are links to resources for and about the agricultural community as it relates to energy and climate change.
Climate Friendly Farming is a five-year research and demonstration project managed by the WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture & Natural Resources. The project focuses on dairy farming, irrigated crop farming, and dryland grain farming. Research will assess the impact of these three types of farming on global warming, and develop and analyze strategies for mitigation.
The Agriculture Newsbriefs Listserv is a free, monthly news service that highlights agricultural news, events and resources, hosted by the WSU Extension Energy Program. Click on the listserv link to find out how to subscribe.
Agriculture Matters is a bibliography of current print and on-line publications focused on energy-related farming and ranching practices in the West. The bibliography is an on-going project of the WSU Extension Energy Program library.
Energy Policy Publications - Climate Change and Clean Energy Resources:
Global Warming and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The Energy Policy division of the state Department of Commerce (CTED) has compiled a list of reports and websites related to climate change in Washington and the West Coast region.
Washington State's Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Sources and Trends, by Jim Kerstetter of the WSU Extension Energy Program, for Energy Policy Division of the state Department of Community Trade and Economic Development, June 2004. This report focuses on carbon dioxide emissions from energy-related activities, including transportation, electricity generation, and the heating of homes and commercial buildings. The report was updated in 2006 and again in 2007 by Stacey Waterman-Hoey and Greg Nothstein of the state Department of Commerce (CTED)
Reports on diesel emissions reduction strategies, by Kim Lyons, alternative fuels specialist for the WSU Extension Energy Program. Lyons wrote this series of 14 reports for the Washington Department of Ecology in 2002-2003.
Other Pacific Northwest Organizations involved in Climate Change activities:
Air quality in most areas of Washington State is protected by local clean air agencies. The Washington State Department of Ecology provides links to these local agencies throughout the state.
The Climate Impacts Group focuses on climate science and its public policy implications for the Pacific Northwest. Affiliated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Washington, the group examines climate impacts on water, forests, salmon and coasts.
Climate Solutions is a dedicated to developing solutions to global warming in the Northwest. The Olympia, Washington based nonprofit leads climate and clean-energy initiatives in the Pacific Northwest.
|
These pages are produced by the WSU Extension Energy Program Library staff with financial support provided by the Washington Department of Community Trade and Economic Development from the US Department of Energy State Energy Program funds.
|
|
Contact
WSU Extension Energy Program
905 Plum Street SE
Olympia, WA 98504-3165
Phone: (360) 956-2000
|
|
