(Seattle, WA, Friday, March 6, 2020) – Climate change is an urgent threat to our birds and communities. Research shows that Washington can use existing natural resources to address the problem by making it state policy to capture harmful carbon emissions and developing programs that promote carbon sequestration on our natural and working lands.

Audubon’s science shows that coniferous forests are the habitat most threatened by climate change. In the Pacific Northwest, up to 1.1 million acres per year can be lost to wildfires by 2040.

Warming temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and stronger fires will increase chances of drought, disease, and delayed planting.

The untapped potential of Washington’s working lands to store carbon are crucial to mitigating climate change and improving farm productivity.

Programs like Senate Bill 5947, which takes aim at the carbon emissions generated in our agricultural sector, will encourage prosperity in rural communities, empower farmers in the fight against climate change, and do our part to meet our climate goals.  

Audubon Washington was founded in 1981 and represents over 35,000 members and 25 local chapters across the state. Audubon’s peer-reviewed research shows that unmitigated climate change threatens two-thirds of North American birds – including the Mountain Bluebird, Rufous Hummingbird, and Eared Grebe – as they face shrinking ranges due to extreme weather and shifting seasons. Audubon supports common-sense, bipartisan solutions that reduce carbon emissions at the speed and scale necessary to protect birds and their habitats.