Seattle's carbon pollution drops with Covid. A rebound is expected

Seattle’s climate pollution dropped sharply in 2020.

The 20% drop in emissions was the first major reduction of the harm Seattle does to the global climate since the Great Recession of 2008.

It was also likely only a temporary blip due to disruptions from the Covid pandemic, according to a new tally of Seattle’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The biggest drop came from the transportation sector as pandemic safety restrictions left people stuck at home instead of driving, busing, or flying anywhere.

Without increased efforts to reduce fossil fuel use, city officials expect pollution to rebound past pre-pandemic levels.

In a press release, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell called for "bigger, bolder, and more equitable climate action."

Harrell is flying to Buenos Aires, Argentina, this week to attend a summit of world mayors talking about climate change Wednesday through Friday, along with his director of communications and the two top officials at the Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment.

Whether changes spurred by the pandemic – like telecommuting and virtual meetings – produced any lasting reductions in the city's energy use and pollution might not become clear until the next citywide inventory in 2024.

City officials track Seattle’s climate impact every two years, though the Office of Sustainability and Environment is working to produce quarterly, neighborhood-by-neighborhood maps of emissions as it aims to prioritize racial equity in its policies.