From:            sarah shifley
To:                Commission-Public-Records
Subject:           [EXTERNAL] Comments for 12/8/20 Port Commissioner Meeting
Date:              Saturday, December 5, 2020 7:25:55 PM

WARNING: External email. Links or attachments may be unsafe.
Please confirm that these comments were received and will be distributed to the Commissioners. 
Also, if you give an oral summary of this comment during the meeting, please state: "Sarah reminds the
commissioners that degrowth is the only way for the Port to meaningfully reduce aviation emissions and
urges the Port to amend its federal legislative agenda to focus on aviation degrowth rather than
expansion. She also points out that the Port's stated support for "comprehensive solutions to address the
climate crisis" is in direct conflict with increasing aviation activity at Sea-Tac. and that biofuels do not
reduce emissions from fuel burned."
Thank you!
Sarah
_____

My name is Sarah Shifley. I am a Seattle resident and volunteer with the 350 Seattle Aviation Team. I
offer these comments on the Port's proposed 2021 federal legislative agenda (meeting agenda item 11a).
Executive Director Metruck's memo states that you support "Comprehensive Solutions to Address the
Climate Crisis." This makes sense. In a recent press release, Commissioner Felleman reminded us that
we're in an "urgent time for the climate and our community's health." Indeed, we now have just nine
years to cut our emissions in half to avoid even more catastrophic impacts of climate change.
One of the Port's largest, if not the largest, contributions to the climate crisis is emissions from aviation
fuel burned. Additionally, it is now undisputed that aviation emissions warm the climate at approximately
three times the rate of that associated with aviation CO2 emissions alone (a fact which the Port
continually fails to acknowledge). 
Any comprehensive solution to the climate crisis must include drastically reducing emissions
from fuel burned, and the only way to do that is to drastically reduce aviation activity. This is
directly contrary to what the Port is actually pushing for: a doubling of flights in and out of Sea-Tac in the
near term. In other words, while you are playing lip service to addressing the climate crisis, your actions
are only elevating it.
It also must be noted the biofuels will do nothing to stave off this elevation of crisis from your actions.
Biofuels do nothing to reduce emissions from fuel burned, and any emissions reductions achieved by
their deployment would be quickly outweighed by increased emissions from increased flights.
I urge the Port to pursue federal-level legislative and regulatory changes that will facilitate a meaningful
reduction in air travel. This is, afterall, the only way to address aviation's contribution to the climate crisis.