BOOTH -- Real Solutions: State Must Address Climate Change

FAIRFAX COUNTY Instead of railing against Washington and pushing bills to prohibit the control of carbon dioxide emissions and even the study of controlling these emissions, state legislators should get their heads out of the sand and address climate change -- while Virginia still has sand.

The burning of fossil fuels produces gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, creating a "greenhouse" effect over the Earth. Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas.

Virginia is particularly vulnerable to climate change.

The state's Commission on Climate Change, a nonpartisan body of major stakeholders, made a compelling case:

•With 112 miles of coastline and 3,300 miles of tidal shoreline, Virginia is "at particular risk" from climate change, they warned, adding, the state "could suffer more impacts of climate change than other states because of its latitudinal location." •The Chesapeake Bay could rise more than two feet. •Precipitation will increase around 10 percent. •Storms will be more frequent and intense and send more sediment, nutrients, and toxics into coastal areas. •Southeastern Virginia is especially vulnerable, commissioners stressed: " . . . the Virginia Beach-Norfolk Metropolitan Statistical Area ranks 10th in the world in value of assets exposed to increased flooding from sea level rise . . . .The Hampton Roads area is particularly vulnerable due to the low elevation of the land and the existence of civilian and military ports, buildings, and infrastructure," they said.

Given the state's $4 billion budget shortfall, perhaps legislators could be convinced by a cost-saving argument. Virginia, ranking 34th in energy efficiency, can cut emissions, reduce energy use, and save money in state operations. For example, most computers and data servers waste between 30 percent and 50 percent of their power demand in the form of heat, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies show. One hundred Energy Star computers using power management settings can save a state as much as 180,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity over three and a half years compared to typical units and usage, reports the National Governors Association (NGA). States could save $5.5 billion by using high-efficiency computers, says NGA.

Here's another example: The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department installed nearly 3,000 light-emitting diode (LED) traffic lights and over a 10-year life-cycle, saved the state more than 53 million kWh of electricity or $500,000 per year, and prevented more than 85 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. "We have used only a fraction of efficiency's potential," says the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEE).

Perhaps legislators will find the national security argument convincing. The commonwealth is critical to the nation's defense, from the Pentagon to the Norfolk Naval Base. Former Virginia U.S. Sen. John Warner is touring the country explaining how national security, energy independence, and climate change are intertwined. Military experts and even the CIA are saying that our over-reliance on imported oil and the destabilization in other countries that climate change will cause are "threat multipliers."

The Defense Department's Quadrennial Defense Review for the first time analyzed the effects of climate change on national security and world conflict, stating that, while climate change alone does not cause conflict, it may act as an "accelerant of instability or conflict" around the world. This review also concluded that more than 30 U.S. bases are directly threatened by rising sea levels.

Maybe legislators will heed the warnings of Virginia's hunters and anglers, people who see climate change threatening natural resources. Virginia's Wildlife Action Plan says that 101 species are at risk. Warmer stream temperatures could be lethal to brook trout. The Chesapeake Bay's outstanding fishing reputation could suffer because warmer air and water will change the composition of species that can live in the bay and bring worsening dead zones, increased frequency of harmful algal blooms, and more marine diseases and invasive species.

Sea level rise will reshape our coastlines and have "catastrophic impacts to bird populations in the Chesapeake Bay region," William and Mary scientists found. Many birds are already shifting their range northward. Waterfowl that historically have wintered here may not return.

There's a Virginia case to be made. The commission laid out a plan.

Ignoring the problem does not make it go away. Instead of sloganeering about an overbearing federal government, real leaders should propose real solutions. Without them, Virginia faces the huge costs of inaction and irreversible harm.

Glenda C. Booth is the Virginia outreach coordinator for the National Audubon Society. Contact her at gbooth@audubon.org.