Oregon Climate Action Commission Blog
In a newly-published proposal, the Oregon Global Warming Commission is calling for Oregon to invest in actions that will increase the carbon that is captured and stored in the state’s natural and working lands. The proposal was developed in response to Governor Brown’s climate change Executive Order 20-04, and calls for capturing and storing – or sequestering – an additional 5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) by 2030, and an additional 9.5 MMTCO2e per year by 2050.
The last time carbon in our atmosphere routinely exceeded 400 ppm was three million years ago. At that time temperatures were 3.6 to 5.4 degrees warmer, and the ocean levels were 15 to 25 meters higher. Imagine if, instead of being above 80 degrees the last week in July, we were well above 90 degrees, and in August if we exceeded 100 degrees for weeks on end.
The Oregon Global Warming Commission published two reports this month – its 2018 Biennial Report to the Legislature and its Forest Carbon Accounting Project Report.
In 2013, the Oregon Transportation Commission, in line with legislative direction, took steps to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation sources by creating the Oregon Statewide Transportation Strategy: A 2050 Vision for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction.
