Environment

A polluted river runs through the heart of industrial Seattle. The Lower Duwamish waterway was designated a Superfund site in 2001 . Now the community coalition that has spent years helping shape the cleanup plan for this 5-mile stretch of the river says that plan is under assault.

Irreversible sea-level rise is among the permanent consequences of human-caused climate change. That’s one of the findings of the new report out this week from the United Nation’s panel of scientists, the IPCC. On the front lines of the new challenges that poses are Washington’s coastal tribes. They’re experiencing the effects of climate change firsthand, as the warming ocean swells into waterfront villages and alters the chemistry of ecosystems in the Salish Sea.

The wildfires, drought and off-the-charts heat in the Northwest are just a few examples of extreme weather events that sound the climate-change alarm bells.

The Swinomish Tribe is filing another amicus brief this week, in support of a lawsuit against the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Environmental groups want to stop Cooke Aquaculture’s plans to continue fish farming in Washington waters.

"No one got everything they wanted, but we have a very good compromise on the table. … Please pass this ordinance as amended July 13."

Negotiations continue in the U.S. Senate around massive infrastructure and budget measures. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, is among the Senate Democrats pushing provisions aimed at addressing climate change .

Every year in late August, the tiny Makah Nation welcomes neighboring tribes and others from all over the state to celebrate its traditions and learn about its unique culture. Many of the protocols on display during Makah Days were developed over millennia in its homelands on the far northwest corner of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

It’s peak season for whale watching in the Salish Sea. But the iconic southern resident killer whales that for decades spent their summers here have been scarce, likely because of a lack of salmon.

11:45 a.m.: Updated with new information from the state Department of Health. The Washington state Department of Health has a preliminary tally of heat-related deaths in the past week. At least 78 people died statewide because of the scorching temperatures that began June 26.

We know that people suffer when smoke from wildfires fills the air. It’s a nuisance and a health hazard. But how does it affect wildlife? Researchers at the University of Washington are tackling that question.