On February 9, 1989, the Council convened a symposium in Olympia, Washington, on the subject of global climate change ("the greenhouse effect") and its potential for affecting the Pacific Northwest. Cosponsoring the symposium were the Pacific Northwest Laboratory, the Washington State Energy Office, and the Oregon Department of Energy. The symposium was organized in response to a need by the Power Council to understand global climate change and its potential impacts on resource planning and fish and wildlife planning for the region, as well as a need to understand national policy developing toward climate change and the Pacific Northwest's role in it.
The symposium gathered several nationally and internationally recognized scientists and policy analysts who explored the causes, effects, likelihood, and timing of global warming; its potential impact on the Pacific Northwest; and related national and regional policy. The morning session, Global Warming: Causes and Effects, focused on the causes and consequences of global warming, and conveyed the state of the science concerning the topic. The afternoon session, Global Warning: Toward a Regional Response, focused on policy aspects of controlling greenhouse gas emissions at both the national and regional levels and discussed actions to deal with the uncertainty of the global warming phenomenon and its potential effects.
