Kudos to Kirkland Reporter’s Aaron Kunkler for two fascinating climate articles.

“Human Waste: unlikely climate change hero?” (kirklandreporter.com, April 15) describes how a King County treatment plant produces a product called Loop, which can be used as a fertilizer. Loop is also rich in carbon. By producing Loop, more carbon is removed from the air than expended to treat our waste water. Using Loop on soil can lead to larger plants, which also absorb carbon and reduce our greenhouse gases.

The second article “King County forests are facing new challenges” (kirklandreporter.com, April 18) describes how King County is confronting the impact of rising temperatures due to climate change. For example, thinning is one strategy to reduce fire danger. Letting in more light also allows for more diversity of species. Planting more conifers will help sequester more carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

We need more stories like these about local efforts to address climate change. However, much more needs to be done to meet the greenhouse gas reduction goals set by King County-Cities Climate Collaboration. It is clear we will miss our 2020 goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) by 25 percent (compared to a 2007 baseline). To meet a 50 percent reduction goal by 2030 requires comprehensive planning by King County as well as our cities.

Kristi Weir

Bellevue