Collaborative Resource Library

The Puget Sound Climate Preparedness Collaborative conducted a community needs survey in summer 2025 to better understand the status of local work on climate preparedness in the Puget Sound region and to identify opportunities for Collaborative support of that work. In addition to general findings, the survey sought to identify specific needs for small jurisdictions and Salish Sea Tribal governments and organizations. Results of the survey offer key insights into how communities and Tribes in the Puget Sound region are approaching climate preparedness and the challenges they face in doing so.

The SCAP serves as King County’s five-year roadmap to address climate change, with updates to three sections: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Sustainable and Resilient Frontline Communities, and Preparing for Climate Change. Since its inception in 2012, King County’s SCAP has led to significant progress in clean energy adoption, sustainable transportation, ecosystem restoration, and community-led solutions.

An interactive tool using local census block-level data to visualize heat islands in King County, assess contributing environmental and sociodemographic factors, and support evidence-based decision-making for heat mitigation strategies and community planning. This tool is intended to support strategic planning and policy development, not real-time emergency response during heat events.

Pierce County’s capital assets and facilities, such as government buildings, transportation systems, utilities, and parks, are susceptible to the climate risks. The purpose of this memo is to provide an overview of current climate trends and projected changes, identify best practices and guidelines for resilient infrastructure, and provide decision-support questions to evaluate vulnerability and select climate-informed design strategies.

Concern about higher summer temperatures and the potential for more extreme heat events has grown as the impacts of climate change become more evident. This concern was heightened with the June 2021 Pacific Northwest Heat Dome, an event made 150 times more likely because of climate change. The 2021 Heat Dome currently stands as the single most deadly climate disaster event in Washington State with more than 125 reported heat-related deaths statewide, including 34 deaths in King County.