PORT TOWNSEND — The North Olympic Peninsula faces a significant challenge from climate change, according to a presentation to the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce on Monday.
“People are adaptable and innovative,” said Kate Dean, North Olympic Peninsula Resource Conservation & Development Council director.
“We are not saying the sky is falling, but now is the time to act.”
Dean, along with Local 20/20 member Cindy Jayne and Judy Surber, city of Port Townsend planning manager, spoke to an audience of about 70 people at the Port Townsend Elks Lodge.
The three speakers presented the results of a report funded by a $152,000 grant from the state Department of Commerce.
The report — which studied Neah Bay, Clallam Bay-Sekiu, Port Angeles and Port Townsend — took 16 months to prepare and involved several community groups and governmental entities, they said.
“One of the largest impacts we can expect is migration to this region,” Dean said.
“We are one of the more temperate regions in the country,” she said.
“We expect people will migrate, and we need to make sure we have the planning for that.”
The report says climate change could cause such health effects as accident and injury in extreme events, emerging biotoxins, infectious disease and allergies, heat wave stress, increased possibility of a stroke and diminished food security.
Likely economic events include extreme weather events leading to flooding, as well as power disruption, transportation vulnerabilities, capital investment risks and rising insurance rates, according to the report, the speakers said.
Challenges conclusions
Gene Farr, treasurer and former chairman of the Jefferson County Republican party, challenged the presentation’s conclusions, saying the current climate projection models have overestimated temperature change.
“When you apply the projections to real-world conditions, you find they are grossly exaggerated,” Farr said.
“There are some real problems with your input, so the question is, when are you going to get some modern data and do the report over?”
Jayne answered that the report lines up with 97 percent of climate scientists.
“I believe in climate change,” Farr said. “I just don’t believe it’s man-made or catastrophic.”
Changes in weather
Dean said climate change won’t change the amount of yearly precipitation but in its form, as demonstrated by a lack of snowpack in 2015 that led to water conservation measures.
This will lead to greater extreme weather events and flooding, she said.
“If we take dramatic measures, we will see a gradual drop in harmful factors,” Dean said.
“If we continue business as usual, we will see an increase in carbon in the atmosphere and temperature.”
The recommended measures with regard to water include enhanced education, regulations requiring water-efficient appliances and water supply monitoring.
The report concluded that Neah Bay and Clallam Bay have a 50 percent chance of a 0.3-foot sea level rise by 2050, while Port Angeles’ projected rise is 0.6 feet and in Port Townsend is 0.9 feet.
“The city is definitely incorporating information from this report and its strategy into the comprehensive plan update,” Surber said.
“In 2017, we will be looking at our critical areas ordinance and our flood damage prevention section of the municipal code to see whether there needs to be revision due to the anticipated rise of the sea level.”
For more information, go to www.noprcd.org.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
