Climate Data & Planning

Seattle is a recognized leader in climate action and we will continue to pursue bold strategies that demonstrate how a low-carbon city is also a prosperous, healthy, and vibrant city.

Climate Planning & Executive Orders

The City of Seattle is already working on many solutions needed to reduce our climate impact. Now is the time to accelerate our climate work and deepen investments in historically underserved communities who will face disproportionate climate impacts. 

On Earth Day 2025, Mayor Harrell issued an Executive Order for Seattle to develop a modernized Seattle Climate Action Plan focused on climate resilience and adaptation, building a green economy, and protecting public health, as well as near-term actions to reduce transportation emissions.

Mayor Durkan issued an Executive Order in 2021 directing departments to implement new carbon-based building performance standards, expand transit access and Healthy Streets, and advance clean energy workforce development.

The Seattle Department of Transportation released the first-ever Climate Change Response Framework, a vision for reducing transportation emissions and making it easier for Seattleites to choose more efficient, shared, and sustainable travel options.

Mayor Durkan issued an Executive Order in 2020 to advance a Green New Deal for Seattle, work collaboratively and boldly to eliminate climate pollution, prioritize climate justice, and invest in an equitable transition to a clean energy economy. 

Climate Data & Reporting

Seattle implements data-driven policies and programs designed to reduce climate pollution, or Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. GHG emissions are gasses released into the atmosphere primarily as a result of human activities that change our climate, leading to extreme heat, pollution, hazardous weather events, and more impacts. 

We measure our emissions to better understand the scope and scale of our local climate footprint. We also track diverse data sources in tables and maps to evaluate the strength of our food system, the health of our tree canopy, the energy efficiency of our buildings, and much more. This data indicates the health and resilience of our climate and city, helping us understand the impact of our actions, opportunities for progress, and the challenges ahead. 

Seattle tracks, measures, and reports our GHG emissions across transportation, buildings, and waste sectors every two years. 

The City of Seattle estimates emissions associated with the food we eat, the things we buy, how we travel, and the homes we live in. 

Seattle’s Food Action Plan is a long-term commitment to building a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient food system. The Food Action Plan map is an Interactive map that shows where City-supported food programs and services are located throughout Seattle.

Explore the new Duwamish Valley Project Map to see how we are advancing long-term goals, projects, and planning efforts outlined in the Duwamish Valley Action Plan. The map can be sorted by Action Plan Priority Area and describes individual projects, status, and lead agency responsible.  

The Seattle Climate Portal is a publicly available map-based website that houses more frequent and granular data indicators of emissions in Seattle. 

The City of Seattle publishes building energy and emissions performance data anually from more than 3,700 of Seattle's largest nonresidential and multifamily properties representing more than 330 million square feet. 

The City of Seattle is working to improve energy efficiency and eliminate climate pollution from all City-owned buildings by 2042. This dashboard tracks our impact and progress toward Seattle’s Building Emissions Performance Standard law, under which most large buildings will need to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.  

During the energy benchmarking reporting cycle (March-November), we update this dashboard 3-5 days per week to allow owners/managers of covered buildings to confirm the compliance status of their building on an ongoing basis.

Sustainability and Environment

Lylianna Allala, Director
Address: 700 5th Avenue, #1868, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 94729, Seattle, WA, 98124-4729
Phone: (206) 256-5158
OSE@seattle.gov

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We collaborate with City agencies, business groups, nonprofit organizations, and other partners to protect and enhance Seattle's distinctive environmental quality and livability.