Audubon’s 2019 report, Survival by Degrees, offers a jarring look at the impacts of climate change on the birds we love. In Washington state, over half of bird species will be vulnerable to extinction by the end of the century if we continue down our current path. But the most important takeaway from our latest report isn’t that birds are facing a crisis – it’s that we have the power in our hands to protect birds and people from the worst impacts of a changing climate.
By taking action – personally and politically – we can hold our planet’s increasing thermostat to 1.5 degrees Celsius. By doing so, we’ll protect 76% of bird species in North America. That’s a pretty big deal.
Combating climate change can seem like a daunting challenge, and it is, but we have the solutions we need to move the needle and make a difference, for birds and people. We know how to not only reduce emissions, but also how to leverage nature's ability to sequester carbon, while also supporting healthy rural landscapes and economies.
Thanks in part to Audubon’s advocacy, Washington state passed 100% clean electricity and we’re continuing our efforts to ratchet down our state’s transportation emissions. We’re excited to continue this work, but we’re also turning our attention to what’s called natural climate solutions, policies that protect and enhance Washington’s farms, fields, forests, and coastal habitat in order to sequester carbon emissions.
Our goal is to do what the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says is necessary: reach net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century. And here’s some good news: when we adopt policies that protect the birds of tomorrow by sequestering more carbon emissions, we also protect the habitat that birds need today.
Together, we’ve already achieved so much, setting an example of bold, aggressive climate action for other states and the federal government. But we can’t afford to slow down. Survival by Degrees shows us that there’s still time to act, but we must act quickly and aggressively, leveraging every solution we have to protect birds and people from our changing climate.
