Climate Action Plan (CAP)

Mercer Island's Climate Action Plan guides the government, business, and household actions needed to reduce the community’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and protect our environment - everyone has a role to play in implementing the plan. Progress will be charted on the City's sustainability tracking page and through annual reports to the City Council.

The CAP was adopted by the City Council on April 4, 2023; read our simple 2-page explainer summarizing the process, or view the major steps and project overview. The City used a range of workshops, surveys, webpages, events, and other means to gather important feedback from the public that helped improve the draft document. The City also leveraged the best available science, material from other multi-year planning documents, and the King County Climate Action Toolkit.

The MI CAP has researched, organized, and prioritized a range of 59 actions and policies that will help us meet our climate goals, reduce GHG emissions, improve climate resiliency, and build on the long history of stewardship the community has already demonstrated. Read a list of some of Mercer Island's existing Sustainability Milestones.

How Much Do We Need to Reduce? [click for analysis]

This graph (known as a Wedge Analysis) show the relative emissions contribution of various sectors of the economy. Many reductions in the coming years will occur due new and stronger Federal and State Laws, but there will be remaining emissions that we need to cut locally, guided by the MICAP. In 2030 they represent about a 16% cut from current emissions rates.

Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions [click for tracking]

The Climate Action Plan is designed to reduce emissions. Like most other communities in the Lake Washington region, the top sources of GHG emissions in Mercer Island are from (1) fossil fuels used for transportation (approx 30%), and (2) natural gas and electricity used to heat, cool, and power homes and buildings (approx 43%). Adding in air travel accounts for another estimated 20% of emissions. As part of the CAP, the City's GHG Inventory was updated with new emissions data through 2020 in order to gauge progress. Learn more about Mercer Island's GHG tracking program here.

CAP Focus Areas [click for goals & targets]

Get Involved

Watch for ways that you can get involved in the "early action" measures, like the MI Climate Challenge, or our Heat Pump installation campaign that have both already launched. You may also want to sign up to buy Green Power from PSE, consider adding solar to your rooftop, or making your next car purchase an Electric Vehicle (EV).