Image Credit: UnSplash

As we approach the end of the year, the crisp, multi-colored autumn leaves and the ambient rain will give way to flurries of snow, enveloping the world in white. From skiing, sledding, building a snowman, making snow angels, or just viewing the snowy world from inside , it is always a pleasure experiencing the winter season. However, this may not be the case for future years to come. Readers may have noticed how there has been a lack of snow during winter break, heavy rains and windstorms taking away power, and the smoke that suffocates every inch of the outdoors every summer. Climate change is causing increasingly warmer temperatures that may change the winter season and other weather patterns forever.

To start, climate change is leading to extreme weather and never-before-seen weather patterns. For instance, instead of consistent amounts of rain, there have been severe downpours over a short period of time, contributing to flooding. Natural disasters are becoming progressively more common and severe due to climate change. As stated by New York University, “higher temperatures cause more water vapor to evaporate into the atmosphere, which acts as fuel for more powerful storms. Because of these climate-related factors, ‘once in a hundred years’ storms have occurred more frequently in the 21st century.

Looking directly at Washington, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Washington’s climate is changing. Over the past century, most of the state has warmed one to two degrees.” Eastern Washington in particular is expected to experience more warming than the coastal regions of Western Washington, as a result of the moderating influence of the Pacific Ocean. This has an impact on Washington’s winters, as the overall temperatures during winter will rise as well. The Washington State Department of Ecology describes how Washington’s winter temperatures are expected to rise, with less snow and more rainfall in the future. This may result in Washingtonians eventually experiencing spring and summer-like temperatures in the winter, eliminating the season altogether.

Climate change has already begun to impact winter weather in Washington. The Executive Climate Office of King County states that in 2015, “there was a record low snowpack (4% of the average amount) in the Central Cascades.” The Executive Climate Office of King County also goes on to describe how Winter 2017 was the wettest winter on record; the high amount of precipitation created a plethora of Image Credit: Unsplash landslide hazards and flooding. Besides the decreasing amount of snow from year to year, the warmer winter temperatures have had negative impacts on Washington as a whole. The warmer weather is causing the ice glaciers and snowpack to melt earlier in the year, which will impact the overall water supply. Carbon Brief explains how the acceleration in snowpack melt often causes river flow to increase in glacier-fed water basins and rivers in the short term. However, “once the snow melts beyond a certain threshold, a ‘peak water’ point is passed, and river flow declines again.” Additionally, there are many communities that heavily rely on glaciers as water sources. As glaciers melt to a larger extent, these communities must find other sources of water. Melting ice will also cause coastal waters to become warmer and more acidic as the loss of sea ice has contributed to a significant amount of ocean water getting exposed to the atmosphere, where it absorbs more carbon dioxide. Acidic oceans can harm coastal reefs, which are habitats for marine animals. Various fish species may also decline, resulting in a loss of fish species, including shellfish, clownfish, and salmon. For all those who eat shellfish and salmon, these fish species will likely get more expensive due to the smaller quantity, resulting in products so expensive that it would not be practical to buy anymore. Additionally, since shellfish and salmon are vital parts of multiple ecosystems, their decline could also affect other species such as bears which primarily eat salmon.

Looking towards the future, Washington will experience “especially increased risks from precipitation, heat, and fire due to climate change over the next 30 years” (Ecology). Furthermore, by 2080, Washington’s, “heaviest rain events are expected to be 22% heavier. Washington’s sea levels are also expected to rise to “15 inches by 2100.” All of these extreme and unpredictable weather patterns are due to climate change. The longer dry season will increase the risk for wildfires, and the melting glaciers will lead to sea levels rising, contributing to flooding. Washington will also be more prone to wildfires, and there will be a “4-fold increase in annual areas burned in Washington’s forests by the 2040s.” Greenhouse gas emissions contribute to climate change, and the areas that contribute the largest number of emissions are the transportation sector, buildings, and electricity consumption.

All this extreme and unexpected weather poses a risk. Wildfires are increasing the rates of illness, hospitalization, and death. These increases are due to the influx of air pollutants, poor air and water quality, and fire-related injuries. Furthermore, climate change causes damage to infrastructure, as flooding and wildfires ruin properties. Extreme heat can also cause the asphalt on roads to melt, causing it to warp, in addition to steel railways buckling. Even without extreme events, “rising temperatures will increase the gradual wear and tear on infrastructure too, increasing costs over time,” according to the Council on Foreign Relations. The infrastructure and property loss will also cause productivity loss and supply chain disruption. As a result, the global economy will be “11 to 14 percent smaller by the middle of the twenty-first century than it would have been without climate change … millions of people will be leading much poorer lives than they would have otherwise.

Luckily, Washington does have a plethora of state-wide climate policies and legislation in place to combat these negative effects. Some mitigation strategies include the Washington State Climate Resilience Strategy which aids infrastructure and working lands for the broader impacts of climate change. Moreover, the Climate Commitment Act directly addresses greenhouse gases, which are a factor that largely contributes to climate change. Washington Climate Partnerships is another strategy under the Washington State Department of Ecology that builds the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP). This plan is responsible for serving as a roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring a sustainable future for Washington.

The University of Washington Bothell is also doing their part to mitigate climate change. For instance, the campus Sustainability Action Plan includes strategic goals for UWB to become more eco-friendly. This plan involves the Campus Advisory Committee on Environmental Sustainability, a concrete five-year sustainability plan, and making campus operations such as transit, dining, and waste management more environmentally friendly. Some fun facts about UWB include the campus housing a “58- acre wetland that is a sustainable, functioning floodplain ecosystem within an urbanizing watershed.” Additionally, in conjunction with the Puget Sound Energy Green Direct program, UWB purchases “100% of its electricity from the Lund Hill Solar project and the Skookumchuck Wind Project.” Lastly, the campus does not use any pesticides and is home to “native plants, pollinators, salmon, beavers and other wildlife.

Moreover, UWB has an Environmental Studies major, a Conservation and Restoration Science major, and an Earth Systems Science major, all dedicated to equipping students with the knowledge to go into different pathways in the environmental sector. Starting Spring of 2026, UWB will also offer a minor called Climate Change in Society that is dedicated to discussing the effects of climate change. To add on, there are interesting classes offered surrounding climate change and environmental sustainability. Some of these classes include Introduction to Sustainability, Climate Change Adaptation Policy, Climate Anxiety, Climate Relief and Resilience, and Impacts of Climate Change.

Furthermore, clubs such as Alliance 4 Sustainability and the Native Plant Society are committed to spreading awareness about sustainability and making sure the campus is doing its part to combat climate change. Some events that Alliance 4 Sustainability has held include styrofoam recycling days, restoration events, and wetlands walks. The Native Plant Society also educates members about native plants and holds invasive species removal events.

Ultimately, Washington’s winters will get progressively warmer, and snow days may become a thing of the past. To combat climate change, it is important to stay informed, raise awareness about environmental issues, and contact state representatives and legislators to pass legislation that enriches Washington’s current climate policy. At UWB, it would also be helpful to take climate change classes and contribute to the on-campus clubs. If action is not taken to combat climate change, the economy and infrastructure will suffer, winters will adopt sauna-like temperatures, and human health with take a disastrous turn for the worse.