Oregon Global Warming Commission’s Biennial Report to the Legislature Shows Oregon Not on Track to Meet Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals
Contact: Catherine Macdonald, 503-475-6782
SALEM – The preliminary 2019 sector-based emissions data included in the Oregon Global Warming Commission’s Biennial Report the Legislature exceed the state’s 2020 emissions reduction target by 26 percent or 13 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
“To be clear and to the point, Oregon has not made the progress envisioned in the Oregon Global Warming Commission’s Roadmap to 2020 drafted a decade ago,” said Commission Chair Catherine Macdonald. “Oregonians want to see more action and express frustrations that we have not kept pace with the scope of the crisis. Governor Brown’s Executive Order 20-04 is a significant addition to Oregon’s efforts to address climate change – but more action must be taken to make the progress needed to reach our 2035 and 2050 goals.”
Since its last report to the legislature in 2018, the Oregon Global Warming Commission has discussed a wide range of climate topics, including zero- and low-carbon transportation options, the social cost of carbon, and the potential impacts of increased climate migration on Oregon’s resource and infrastructure needs. The Commission also reviewed the State of Oregon agency implementation plans for EO 20-04. In the 2020 Report, the Commission goes beyond what the agencies have authority to do today, outlining 36 additional recommended actions to help get Oregon back on track to meet its emissions reduction goals.
The report also recognizes that climate change is a serious equity issue, as the effects of climate change multiply other threats—from food and housing insecurity to health hazards—that are already facing impacted and vulnerable communities, including low-income families, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and rural households.
“The impacts of climate change could not be more evident than in the tragedies experienced from the extreme runoff event that damaged and closed I-84 and flooded homes in the Pendleton area last winter, to the extensive drought declarations and devastating fires experienced this fall,” added Macdonald. “We appreciate that the state has its hands full responding to COVID-19 and the impacts of the wildfires, but we urge the Legislature not to let up on climate action – in fact, the challenges we have faced in 2020 make a stronger case for the need to re-double efforts to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.”
The Oregon Global Warming Commission is a 25-member volunteer group, with 11 voting and three non-voting members appointed by the Governor. Its mission is to recommend ways to coordinate state and local efforts to reduce Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions, and to help Oregonians prepare for the effects of climate change. Read the Biennial Report and learn more about the Commission at www.keeporegoncool.org.