New report: Clean energy is powering reductions in Washington’s carbon emissions

More clean energy and less coal power: That's the recipe for a drop in Washington's greenhouse gas emissions detailed in a new Washington Department of Ecology report. Despite population and economic growth, the state's total emissions declined 0.5% from 2021 to 2022. This report does not include impacts from the Climate Commitment Act and the Clean Fuel Standard, which took effect in 2023.

Data from Ecology's Statewide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory - the most comprehensive look at all sources of carbon emissions in Washington - shows that emissions dropped from 96.6 million metric tons in 2021 to 96.1 million metric tons in 2022. Cutting emissions by half a million tons is equivalent to a year's worth of emissions from 109,000 cars.

Washington has reduced emissions even as the state's population and economy have grown substantially. Washington's emissions peaked in 2000 at 108 million metric tons. Between 2000 and 2022, emissions fell 12.4%. In that same time, the state's population grew by a third from 5.9 million to 8.1 million people and its gross domestic product nearly doubled.

"Washington is a leader in fighting climate change," said Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller. "This report shows we continue to make progress in reducing emissions. That said, we must remain laser-focused to make even more progress in combatting this threat."

Emissions trends

Economic fluctuations still influence Washington's emissions from year to year, but the long-term trend shows that the state's emissions are becoming decoupled from economic growth. Emissions fell sharply in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and then rose as the economy recovered in 2021. But the increase petered out in 2022, leaving emissions significantly below their 2019 mark. In other words, Washington's economic growth is less dependent on increasing emissions.

The 2021-2022 decline is largely attributable to increases in wind and solar power, combined with a strong year for hydropower, and a drop in highly polluting coal power.

That progress should be a sign of things to come. Washington's Clean Energy Transformation Act, passed in 2019, required electric utilities to stop using coal power by the end of 2025. By 2030, all electricity consumed in the state must be carbon neutral.

State law requires Washington to reduce total emissions to 45% below what they were in 1990 by 2030, and ultimately 95% by 2050. On April 22, Ecology and the Washington Department of Commerce released the state's first-ever plan for achieving those reductions - the culmination of a broad statewide effort to map out decarbonization opportunities across every sector of the economy.

Speeding up emissions tracking and getting more current data

So why is the state releasing 2022 data in 2026? The lag in reporting stems from federal data used in the comprehensive inventory. Ecology is developing in-state data sources to supplement the federal data, with a goal of producing more timely reports. State-sourced data are becoming even more critical as the federal government cuts many of its climate data programs.

Ecology has collected emissions data from a subset of the state's largest sources of carbon pollution since 2012. Reporting requirements were expanded in 2022, and this dataset now accounts for a majority of Washington's emissions, making it a valuable early indicator of the statewide total.

The in-state data show that Washington's total carbon emissions likely declined through 2024 because of continued growth in renewable energy. The totals for 2023 and 2024 will be confirmed through future statewide inventories.

In addition to publishing early-indicator data each year, Ecology will also release statewide inventories annually, as opposed to every two years. These changes will give lawmakers and the public access to more current data as the state continues implementing its suite of climate policies.