Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announces plans to reduce transportation emissions
Author: Guy Oron
On Dec. 7, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell unveiled an executive order clarifying the city’s climate change goals and the plans needed to achieve them at a press conference with city department heads. The press conference largely focused on ways the city can decarbonize its transportation sector, which accounts for about 61 percent of core emissions. Seattle has pledged to decrease its transport emissions by 82 percent by 2030, based on 2008 levels. Real Change previously repod that working from home resulted in a significant, but temporary, reduction in transportation emissions in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The executive order follows Harrell’s October trip to Buenos Aires, where he attended the C40 World Mayors Summit. At the conference, various city leaders made ambitious pledges to rapidly decarbonize their cities to meet carbon emission reduction goals. Some of Seattle’s goals that were announced at the conference included loose commitments to create zero emission zones in the city; implement the pedestrian master plan to increase walkability; and procure all zero emission vehicles by 2030.