About the Plan
Vision Statement
“Thurston County, Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater, and neighboring tribes recognize the urgent threat and opportunity that climate change poses to our community’s economy, public health, public safety, and environment. We will work together to identify and boldly implement the most effective, efficient, and equitable actions to reduce locally generated greenhouse gas emissions to protect current and future generations from the most severe impacts of climate change.”
Thurston County, Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater worked with Thurston Regional Planning Council and community partners to develop the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan (TCMP) in 2020. The TCMP is a road map for ongoing regional collaboration to reduce local contributions to climate change.
View Plan Appendices
Emission Reduction Targets
The four parties adopted a shared goal to reduce countywide greenhouse gas emissions 45% by 2030 and 85% 2050, from a 2015 baseline.
These targets were designed to align with international standards when the plan was developed in 2020. Future plan updates will include reviewing and revising the targets as new information becomes available.
Actions at the state, national, and international level will influence the Thurston region’s ability to achieve our goals locally. Learn more about planned local actions to reduce emissions:
Community
Goals
The plan includes 12 Regional Goals regional goals that emphasize the co-benefits of climate action in supporting the strength and resilience of the Thurston community.
- Create vibrant centers, corridors, and neighborhoods while accommodating growth.
- Preserve environmentally sensitive lands, farmlands, forest lands, prairies, and rural lands, and develop compact urban areas.
- Create a robust economy.
- Protect and improve water quality, including groundwater, rivers, streams, lakes and Puget Sound.
- Plan and act toward zero waste in the region.
- Ensure that residents have the resources to meet their daily needs.
- Support a local food system to increase community resilience, health and economic prosperity.
- Ensure that the region’s water supply sustains people in perpetuity while protecting the environment.
- Move toward a carbon-neutral community.
- Maintain air quality standards.
- Provide opportunities for everyone in the Thurston Region to learn about and practice sustainability.
- Make strategic investments to advance sustainability regionally.
