Thread by @pfairley

#Cascadia's climate activists have had global impact, yet emissions keep rising here in #Washington #Oregon & #BC.

2021 opens with renewed hope for a real transition, as documented in Part 3 of @INVW's year-long Getting to Zero #decarbonization project. invw.org/2021/01/25/aft…

#BritishColumbia set the pace when #Cascadia's govts set initial climate targets >10yrs ago. In 2021 #Washington and @JayInslee step way out with a 95%/net-zero target for 2050, tough interim goals, and a detailed strategy to get there.
commerce.wa.gov/growing-the-ec…

#Washington's strategy is backed by sophisticated modeling from Seattle-based CETI and SF-based EER.

Note: EER's EnergyPATHWAYS tool underpins the recent multi-path US #decarbonization visions 👇from @JesseJenkins et al @Princeton's @AndlingerCenter. nytimes.com/2020/12/15/cli…

#Washington's strategy calls for regional cooperation to massively boost wind + solar and the grid, doubling the state's power supply.

@bonnevillepower and other #PNW utility plans to join @California_ISO's markets may get grid regionalization rolling.
bpa.gov/Projects/Initi…

Best supporting energy solution goes to #GreenHydrogen made from renewable electricity, which #Washington hydropower utilities such as @DouglasPUD are already pursuing.
douglaspud.org/Pages/Renewabl…

For H2 newbies: energy thinkers have long embraced green H2. People like @UMass's Bill Heronemus, one of modern wind power's pioneers, and Europe's integrated energy systems theorists. Why? B/C #electrification alone can not deliver deep decarbonization. scientificamerican.com/article/solar-…

In other words, H2 is more than (just) a desperate fossil fuel play, as some are narrowly reporting it.
desmogblog.com/2021/01/14/dec…

@JayInslee's govt conveyed resolve on climate action last week when it rejected a proposed methanol plant, citing its 1 million tons of direct CO2 emissions and further emissions from upstream fossil gas production. ecology.wa.gov/Regulations-Pe…

That said, notwithstanding new leadership from Washington, #Cascadia's carbon-cutters have hard work ahead. @JayInslee's legislative agenda to push climate action beyond the power grid faces challenges from both Dems and Repubs ...

... and there's still plenty of business-as-usual government action across #Cascadia. Watchdog groups see "red flags" as the @OregonDEQ sets rules for @OregonGovBrown's 'cap-and-reduce' program, including a possible exemption for gas-fired power plants. blogs.edf.org/climate411/202…

And in BC, #Cascadia's leader a decade ago, fossil fuels continue to show special staying power. Carbon-intensive fossil megaprojects #TMX @LNGCanada & @CoastalGasLink continue thru the pandemic, putting #FirstNations and other rural communities at risk... thetyee.ca/News/2020/12/0…

... and the govt missed its own Dec 2020 deadline to detail how it will close BC's large & growing emissions gap to hit its 2030 target.
Next milestone to watch: sector targets promised by BC minister of environment and climate change strategy @GeorgeHeyman for the end of March.

Stay tuned b/c @INVW will be tracking #Cascadia's #decarbonization promise & promises all year.
In Feb/Mar we go deep on activism + equity.
In April + thereafter we go deep & big on cost-effective solutions available to #Cascadia's govts, communities and industries.

Important: We @INVW couldn't provide this deep coverage without our Getting to Zero: Decarbonizing #Cascadia partners: @grist @Crosscut @TheTyee @JPRnews @SoSeaEmerald @theevergrey and @AP
invw.org/getting-to-zer… #GtZ

@threadreaderapp unroll this thread on the latest from @INVW's GtZ project