Home Insights

It’s Getting Hot in Here

October 3, 2024

Author

Sorry, No posts.
ECO’s work to address climate change

Over our fifty-year history, no policy topic has evolved as profoundly as climate change—or, as it was once called, global warming. Neither term was frequently used in 1974, when our company was founded, but usage and attention began to creep up in the mid-80s. The first reference we find in our company archives is October 1989, when our founder, Ed Whitelaw, presented “Global Warming: The Stakes” to the Solar Energy Association of Oregon. That was 17 years before Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth.

Today climate change affects nearly all the work do. It’s a leading factor in planning where and how cities grow. It shapes transportation, water, and energy policy debates. And it’s entered the education space as states and localities consider how to train workers for the growing clean technology economy. Some of our work focuses explicitly on climate change, while the rest works to understand how to move forward under its shadow.

If you work at ECO, you work on climate change. Here’s a sampling of projects from our practices.

 

THE LAND ON FIRE

As the climate warms, wildfire becomes an ongoing threat to agriculture, commerce, real estate, and the habitats of living beings—including humans. Regions across the West are scrambling to understand how to adapt to and mitigate changing wildfire risk, how to estimate damages, and how to rebuild after devastating fires sweep through. ECO has helped governments and planning agencies gain insight into wildfire mitigation and recovery. We started this work more than 15 years ago, estimating potential future costs, and fire impacts—especially from large, landscape-transforming fires—have grown even faster than we could have imagined. Our recent fire-related projects include:

 

DROUGHT AND FLOOD

Climate change is altering the water patterns that communities have depended on for centuries. Sea level rise is already beginning to affect tidal flooding and storm surge in coastal areas, and more frequent and extreme floods and droughts—combined with increased development in high-risk areas—are causing devastating impacts on communities. Often communities with the fewest resources suffer the worst effects. Since its founding, ECO has helped land and resource managers make informed decisions about investments in water supply and flood protection infrastructure. This work has highlighted the importance of valuing the services the ecosystem provides, as healthy ecosystems provide better resilience to climate change impacts.

Our research has shown the advantages of using market incentives, investing in ecosystems, and collaborating on large-scale water management solutions, especially in a future shaped by climate change. Our work has facilitated critical partnerships and helped secure millions of dollars in funding for infrastructure projects that enhance water quality and ensure that water is available when and where it is most needed. We give governments and organizations the insights they need to understand their water futures within climate change’s uncertainties. Our recent water projects include:

In the coming years, adapting to climate change will be an increasingly important consideration in decision-making regarding natural systems like water, forests, wildlife habitat, and human health. ECO is increasingly focused on helping organizations make natural and built environments more resilient to chronic and extreme events. ECO’s history of working at the intersection of economics and ecosystems equips us to inform decisions about how communities can equitably manage and invest in their natural resources while keeping communities safe.

 

POWER WITHOUT OIL

Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels is one of this century’s core challenges—and ECO has been working to understand and assess the feasibility of renewable energy options for over 20 years. Solar, wind, and wave energy; green hydrogen; and battery storage technologies promise a cleaner future, but their development brings change and uncertainty to local communities. ECO is on the front line of renewables research, providing analyses that offer data and insights on the benefits, costs, and opportunities at every stage of development. Stakeholders ask us: What are the trade-offs of renewable energy policies? What are the land-use impacts and workforce opportunities? What are the socioeconomic effects on housing, services, and local revenue? ECO provides the analysis and insight to answer these questions, advancing low-emissions technologies and making an impact on climate change. Our recent renewables projects include:

 

TACKLING URBAN EMISSIONS

Cities generate 70% of global GHG emissions. Tackling urban emissions—another of ECO’s specialties—is central in the fight against climate change. Many cities are making plans to reduce their carbon footprints, but actions like retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency can feel cost prohibitive. ECO’s analysis, cost estimates, funding plans, and technology recommendations for urban cores are key to supporting cities that want to reduce emissions and become more climate resilient. As an equity-centered firm, we also help cities understand how emission-related policies can affect underrepresented populations. Finally, while buildings are huge emitters, transportation towers over them. Most climate action plans emphasize infill development to make cities more compact and easier to navigate. This reduces travel times and promotes lower-carbon options like walking, biking, and public transit—which are seriously disincentivized where there’s sprawl. Some of our recent urban climate work includes:

 

WHO WILL BUILD IT?

The Inflation Reduction Act is fueling over $5 billion in climate investments nationwide, but money doesn’t help if there’s no one to do the work. We need skilled workers, with the right combination of education and abilities, to make the magic happen. ECOnorthwest is partnering with cities and states to assess workforce needs and compare them to education and training programs, finding gaps and ensuring we have the talent to tackle climate change. Some recent workforce projects include:

 

ECO’s deep expertise in the West, combined with our strong economic analysis, positions us to lead in climate-related work. As public agencies ramp up efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change, we’ll be there to support them.