So this post has been cross-posted from my other blog (http://madrad2002.wordpress.com/2008/10/19/powervote-efforts/)
Chesapeake Bay Program says Bay will rise 2.3 ft
Letter from from Skip Stiles, Wetlands Watch
The federal Chesapeake Bay Program yesterday released a study on climate change impacts on the Chesapeake Bay that summarizes our best estimates of climate change impacts up to 2100. The paper is solid and has undergone complete peer review – and is being issued by the federal government.
The conclusions are sobering. Fully slamming on the brakes in our green house gas emissions gives us a minimum 2.3 foot relative sea level rise by 2100. When Wetlands Watch first warned Governor Kaine about the impacts of sea level rise in a letter to Kaine in May of last year best estimates of sea level rise started at around 1.5 – 2 feet. Every time we take a closer look we unfortunately get higher estimates.
More troubling are the temperature increases predicted – nearly another 2 degrees C. This warming will force major habitat shifts and produce impacts such as the inability of eel grass to survive in much of a warmer Chesapeake Bay.
This is a clear warning call that we need to 1) dramatically reduce emissions and 2) begin adaptation planning today for the sea level rise and other impacts. With the Governor’s Climate Change Commission starting its final work on its report, there is an opportunity to have an impact there. As well, many local governments are undertaking revisions of their comprehensive land use plans – which include consideration of the natural resource base of the locality. Every one of those plans should include consideration of these coming changes.
Skip
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Skip Stiles
Executive Director
Wetlands Watch
Al Gore, Energy Action, call on students to vote for the climate
Al Gore has repeatedly called on students to take more dramatic action on climate change. Last night he asked them to hold our politicians accountable.
A big shout out to UMD, who blew out the competition and had the biggest Gore-cast in the nation!
Read more about the Gore-cast on It’s Getting Hot In Here>>
Clean Coal is getting laughed at today
Clean Coal is getting laughed at today. Fred Pearce of the Guardian calls clean coal “oxymoronic.” It’s only remorseless commercial propagandizing by US coal and electricity companies that have kept it alive.
For the close-to-home take, check out the Green Miles‘ video below.
Climate change and your health – Cindy Parker's new book
In 2003, the worst heat wave in recorded history hit Western Europe. Continue reading
VIDEO: Green Jobs Day of Action
GreenJobsNow.org organized nearly 700 events nationwide calling for policies that would encourage the growth of a new ‘green’ economy in the US. Here’s a look at a few of those events CCAN organized in the Washington, DC area.
Voters for Climate Action, Unite!
I think I’m not alone in being ready for this election season to be over. That doesn’t mean, however, that I’m about the completely disengage from the process at this most critical time.
Mike and Josh express their outrage
Reporters and supporters were at a rally today to protest Maryland State police surveillance of Mike Tidwell and Josh Tulkin while working for CCAN in 2005-2006. Josh and Mike regularly met with church groups, politicians, 3rd graders–so do all these people need to be worried that their information is also in these databases?
We’re calling on the police to release this information immediately and explain their actions.
Virginians hope for clean energy at Obama rally
Virginians Unite!
And unite we did. At the Obama rally held at Ida Lee Park in Leesburg, Virginians sent a unified message about energy. When Obama mentioned investments to create 5 million green jobs and investing in renewables like wind and solar, the crowd in front of him responded with cheers and a public display of hundreds of green scarves to show their support. It was an amazing site to behold to see a message that was so loud and so clear that it didn’t even need words. Here in Northern Virginia, we know what real clean energy is and expect the next President of the United States of American to have a plan to put us on the path to Clean Energy Future.
No one wants to gamble our future on the fairytale of “clean coal.” When our economy is in such a fragile state, the time for telling bedtime stories to ease our fears is over. We need real solutions and when we hear them you better believe we get excited. That’s what happened yesterday in Leesburg and what will continue to happen as this 21st Century energy economy becomes a reality.