Last Updated: April 30, 2023 by main_y0ke11

Climate Corner: Ecological grief

Mar 11, 2023

Vic Elam

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

A few years ago, I reviewed the results of a survey of people from inner cities who were asked a number of questions about natural areas and their relation to them. One interesting takeaway from that survey was that even people who never traveled outside of the city and experienced nature, supported the protection of natural areas, and take comfort knowing that these areas exist.

This revelation leads me to believe that even people who don’t experience nature suffer from a phenomenon referred to as ecological grief. I feel certain that most people whose lives are closer related to nature must suffer much more so from ecological grief.

I think that it is human nature to throw up your hands in despair and feel that there is nothing that you can do to prevent the calamity of ecological destruction impacting ourselves, our environment, and the wildlife that we share this planet with. Although, I feel that it is important to be aware of the damage we are causing, and keep pushing for better, we should step back and take stock in our progress.

Most people now understand and accept that climate change is a real modern human-induced condition. Renewable energy technological breakthroughs are finding new and more efficient ways to harness energy at a blistering pace. The promising outlook for new, better-paying, clean energy jobs that offset those lost is encouraging. You see more electric vehicles on the road every day. Even when disaster strikes such as the train derailment in East Palestine the public outcry is louder and the demand for change so much stronger that it feels like change is in the air.

Yes, we have a long way to go to undue the damage wrought by our fellow humans acting without regard for their fellow man, and we will continue to have setbacks. But miring ourselves in ecological grief will not help the situation. We need to keep a positive attitude. I recommend that if you find yourself discouraged about the state of the environment, take a hike in the woods, take up a hobby such as birding, or just sit quietly in a park, open your senses and you will see that all is not lost, there is still much to save. Please join in the effort, for each of us making a small difference adds up to a huge change.

We all know what needs to be done, let’s get to it.

Last Updated: April 30, 2023 by main_y0ke11

Climate Corner: ‘Silent Spring’ may be inevitable

Mar 4, 2023

Aaron Dunbar

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

“Everywhere was a shadow of death. The farmers spoke of much illness among their families. In the town the doctors had become more and more puzzled by new kinds of sickness appearing among their patients. There had been several sudden and unexplained deaths, not only among adults but even among children, who would be stricken suddenly while at play and die within a few hours.

“There was a strange stillness. The birds, for example–where had they gone? …”

This passage from Rachel Carson’s “A Fable for Tomorrow” is the opening chapter to “Silent Spring.” It’s impossible not to reflect on Carson’s mid-20th Century ghost town in the wake of Norfolk Southern’s chemical nuking of East Palestine, Ohio. It’s been revealed that nearly 44,000 aquatic animals were killed by the negligent rail company’s “controlled release” of deadly chemicals in an angry black mushroom cloud. That’s well above a tenfold increase over ODNR’s initial estimate of 3,500 wildlife deaths- and mainstream news outlets, often with major shareholders such as BlackRock and Vanguard in common with Norfolk Southern, have the gall to wonder why the town’s citizens have been so distrustful of the government.

The dread evoked by Ohio’s Silent Spring is hardly ameliorated by the premature onset of actual springtime throughout the United States, with temperatures last week reaching nearly 80∂F.

This is not normal.

Entire complex ecosystems are being disrupted by the chaotic shifting of Earth’s seasons, thanks almost certainly to global warming. Birds that migrate seasonally are being lured to starvation by false promises of plentiful food. Insects are missing opportunities to feed and to pollinate, thus jeopardizing our own food systems. Invasive plant species in particular are given greater opportunities to proliferate in a warming climate.

“I’m seeing the trends I rely upon, the calendar I have trusted to see rare plants in bloom, just completely disappear,” Dr. Deborah Landau of the Nature Conservancy said in an interview with The Guardian. “Everything has been thrown out of whack, species that have evolved together for millennia are now off-kilter. There is this cascading effect on everything that is more than just a missed cherry blossom season.”

The widespread prevalence of these cascades should terrify anyone with even an elementary knowledge of the implications. Scientists studying mass extinction events have found the destruction of wildlife can culminate in seemingly abrupt “tipping points,” much like the climate crisis as a whole, beyond which ecosystem collapse becomes inevitable.

The End-Permian extinction event, otherwise known as the “Great Dying,” resulted in the annihilation of 90% of Earth’s species, a direct consequence of global warming triggered by massive volcanic eruptions. Shockingly, species today are being eliminated at a faster rate than they were during any of Earth’s past mass extinction events. And in many cases, ecosystem collapse was a result of just such species cascades as previously mentioned, with different species often taking the role of those that went extinct. Finally there remained no species that could fill these crucial ecological voids, and these complex interconnected systems entered a death spiral.

Our world today is staring down the barrel of a similar mass extinction event, though the causes, in today’s case, are anything but natural.

The common thread between the destruction of life in East Palestine and the larger global ecocide happening around us is this: Just as Norfolk Southern decided to funnel some $18 billion into stock buybacks instead of responsibly upgrading their Civil War-era braking systems, so too do fossil fuel giants like Shell and ExxonMobil choose the hoarding of obscene wealth over the survival of the biosphere. Corporations value profits over anything else on this Earth.

The modus operandi for these corporate terrorists is always the same: deregulate, destroy, and deceive. They promise us they’ll be on their best behavior because the free hand of the market dictates it, then they reduce the world around them to a wasteland. They fill our bodies with poisons, then lie to us and tell us we’ll be fine. Then a toothless political system controlled by these same oligarchs comes along and reassures us just enough to maintain the illusion that everything is as it should be, despite the iridescent shimmer in our waterways and the fish floating belly-up downstream.

For some time now, scientists have debated renaming the current era of Earth’s history, the Holocene, as the Anthropocene, due to the outsized negative impact human beings have had. But more recently, an alternative name has been proposed which more accurately assigns the blame for our current environmental nightmare — the Capitalocene.

Those rapacious elites most responsible for the desecration of our world are invariably the ones least impacted by its destruction. And as we fail to confront this horrendous scorched earth capitalism, the grim spectre of Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” draws nearer and nearer each day.

Last Updated: April 30, 2023 by main_y0ke11

Across-the-board accountability needed for Northfolk Southern tragedy

Feb 28, 2023 The Marietta Times

Aaron Dunbar

The corporate bombing of East Palestine is one of the most damning indictments of our entire political system that I have ever witnessed. There are no partisan divisions to delineate who is at fault here, but rather, a clear and stark dividing line between those at the top, and those at the bottom in our society.

The most obvious culprit here is, of course, Norfolk Southern. They’ve invested over $18 billion in stock buybacks over the past five years, deliberately choosing to rake in obscene profits instead of updating their Civil War-era braking systems.

Rules in place under the Obama administration would’ve required trains like those in East Palestine to be equipped with Electronically Controlled Pneumatic brakes, which would almost certainly have mitigated this catastrophe. Donald Trump and his deranged anti-regulation administration repealed these rules, however, proving the billionaire ex-President’s brazen disregard for the safety of everyday Americans.

Which isn’t to say that Republicans are solely responsible for this by any means. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has done nothing to rectify Trump’s flagrant disregard for the safety of our railways. He’s also lied about supposedly being unable to act meaningfully to address the braking issue, a notion promptly debunked by journalist David Sirota. Buttigieg has rightfully been dragged across the coals for his role in this tragedy, though I have a few guesses as to why the right suddenly cares so much more about safety regulations now than they did when Trump was the one rolling them back.

Next up we have our current, self-described “Pro-Union” President, who made it illegal for rail workers to strike last year, even as they warned of precisely these sorts of accidents occurring due to the cost-cutting negligence of rail companies.

Though once again, this was anything but a partisan feat. The majority of Congress stood behind Biden in this undertaking, including District 6 Representative Bill Johnson. A TikTok user by the name j05h.x confronted Johnson during a visit to East Palestine, specifically addressing the $18,000 in campaign contributions he’s received from Norfolk Southern over the years.

“We’re done with the conversation,” Johnson says immediately. “I just told you, we’re not gonna talk politics here. That’s not what this is about. Because we’re talking about what’s right for the people of East Palestine.”

I’m going to be bold here and say that what’s “right” for the people of East Palestine is not being nuked with chemicals by a corrupt rail company that’s buying off our Representatives in Congress.

Biden’s response to all of this has hardly inspired confidence–his Justice Department is currently poised to block lawsuits against Norfolk Southern and corporations like it in the Supreme Court.

It is worth noting, though, that Biden reportedly told Ohio Governor Mike DeWine that he would provide “anything you need” to address the tragedy.

DeWine’s outrageous response to this, when asked by a reporter, was “I will not hesitate to call him if we see a problem, but I’m not seeing it.”

It was at about this point in the so-called “Chernobyl 2.0” saga that I began banging my head against the wall.

Finally, tie all of this together with a mainstream media response that has been absolutely abysmal (outlets like the New York Times have major shareholders like BlackRock and Vanguard in common with Norfolk Southern) and a less than reassuring response from the EPA — if you have any connection whatsoever to our area’s C8 scandal, then you know how reliable it is when corporate stooges get to decide how much of a carcinogenic substance is safe for you and your children to ingest. We frankly have no idea what the scope of this damage is, how long it will last, or even how far it will spread, with anecdotal evidence suggesting that individuals as far off as Canada have been experiencing chloride-induced headaches.

We need major, across-the-board accountability for this, to put an end to the corruption of all parties involved, and ensure that nothing even remotely like this ever happens again.

Last Updated: April 30, 2023 by main_y0ke11

Climate Corner: It doesn’t have to be that way

Feb 25, 2023

George Banziger

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

On Feb. 3 a train consisting of 151 total cars derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. About 20 of the cars were carrying hazardous materials, and five of the cars contained vinyl chloride, which is used to make PVC. This chemical is linked to liver cancer. While the air and water may be safe for now, skepticism is justified. Long after public officials and reporters have left East Palestine and the neighboring communities, there may be long-term risks of chronic diseases, such as cancer from this accident.

Residents of Appalachia including the Mid-Ohio Valley have long been forced to suffer chronic diseases caused by exposure to chemicals, particulates, and contaminated air and water linked to the extraction and transport of fossil fuels and products derived from these resources. In Washington County the combined cancer rate, according to the Ohio Department of Health, is 494.5, as compared to the statewide figure of 461.5 and the national figure of 439.2. In West Virginia, where the entire state has been the victim of this abuse, the combined cancer rate is 487.4. One county in our region, Wirt County, has the highest rate of lung cancer in the state of West Virginia (West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources).

The manufacturing of plastics and the extraction of natural gas (methane) for development into plastics, as well as the transport of these materials and the waste products associated with them, will be increased in the region with the establishment of the new “cracker” plant (utilizing a process to crack methane molecules) in western Pennsylvania. If producers of natural gas have their way, fracking (i.e., hydraulic fracturing) of natural gas and its conversion to liquified form, and the transport of this material will be increased in order to provide more export of liquified natural gas.

Our region seems to suffer the high risks of health problems and air and water contamination while experiencing limited benefit from fossil fuels and their products. Washington County, Ohio leads the state in volume of brine waste (from fracking) injected into its grounds. This county gets the waste and the attendant risk of transport of these toxic and radioactive materials (from wells in West Virginia and Pennsylvania as well as from Ohio) but little of the benefit.

We have been told that these health and environmental risks are the price we have to pay for economic development and job creation in the region. But where are the profits, jobs, and prosperity from these industries going and how much benefit to the Appalachian region of the Ohio Valley accrues to these investments? In a study done by the Ohio River Valley Institute (July 2021) it was reported that from 2008-2019 in the 22 counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, which produce 90% of the natural gas in Appalachia, economic prosperity, in terms of jobs, income, and population growth, trailed the U.S. measures of these factors. In that period the number of jobs increased just 1.6%, eight percentage points below the U.S. figure, and personal income was one-third below the national average. The demographics of our region continue to show decline of population as young people choose to leave. In other words, little revenue or benefit from all this activity with natural gas has accrued to the region. Natural gas extraction and plastics manufacturing are capital-intensive enterprises. What is needed for job creation and sustained prosperity in the region is activity that is labor-intensive.

It does not have to be the case that fossil fuels and the waste associated with their extraction, transport, and manufacturing have to be such an important part of the economy of our region. There are some encouraging examples of new manufacturing, economic development, and job creation coming out of West Virginia. Gov. Jim Justice has announced a repurposing of a steel mill in Wierton to produce batteries for the electric vehicle market. In South Charleston a new plant will be established for the manufacture of electric school buses. Old coal-fired power plants, which contaminate our air and air throughout a large portion of the country, can be repurposed for other uses, such as the two closed plants in Washington County. The movement toward energy efficiency in industries and homes can spark new jobs in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning as well as in lighting–jobs and profits that are local.

Last Updated: April 28, 2023 by main_y0ke11

No — natural gas is not really green energy

Feb 25, 2023 Herald Star

RANDI POKLADNIK

During the recent lame duck session, Ohio’s predominantly Republican Legislature and Gov. Mike DeWine rushed to pass HB 507. The amended bill prohibits communities from banning pesticides within city borders and allows state lands and parks to be leased for oil and gas development. The legislation also would “create a broad new legal definition of green energy that would include natural gas.”

An anonymously funded, pro-natural gas, dark money group, the Empowerment Alliance, helped Ohio lawmakers spin the narrative that natural gas is green. Labeling gas as green energy does not change the scientific facts: The combustion of methane produces carbon dioxide, and methane itself is a potent greenhouse gas.

The bio-geo-chemical processes that created the methane gas and coal deposits in the geographic area of Ohio took place millions of years ago, when carbon sources such as ancient plants and animals decayed in anaerobic conditions.

Coal has a higher percentage of carbon than methane; therefore, it produces more carbon dioxide per BTU when burned. However, both substances are fossil fuels that contribute to climate change, and both have limited supplies.

Methane produces lower carbon dioxide emissions when burned but that benefit is overshadowed by the fact that extracting methane using high-pressure hydraulic fracking releases enormous amounts of methane gas into the atmosphere. These emissions can be from leaks of storage tanks, compressor stations, blowdowns, pipelines and flaring.

A report published in “Energy Science and Engineering” states “natural gas (both shale gas and conventional gas) is responsible for much of the recent increases in methane emissions, and because of this have a higher greenhouse gas footprint than coal or oil. Pound for pound, the comparative impact of methane is 25 times greater than carbon dioxide.

Actual green energy sources differ dramatically from fracked methane gas when it comes to infrastructure needed, energy costs and environmental externalities. After initial construction, renewable energy projects such as wind turbines and solar panels require little resource inputs. Their energy sources are limitless and free and the carbon footprint is minimal. “Utility-scale renewable energy prices are now significantly below those of coal and gas.”

Fracking requires extensive infrastructure and constant inputs of resources such as water, sand and chemicals used to extract the methane. When it comes to the energy costs of fossil fuels, consumers are at the mercy of an industry which consistently makes record profits while it receives $20 billion a year in subsidies. Ohio’s southeastern counties provide examples of how fracking has turned rural communities into sacrificial industrial sites. Pipelines mar wooded hillsides; well pads rise over the landscape; and thousands of trucks loaded with carcinogenic chemicals, frack sand and toxic water travel our roads every day. Local residents are exposed to air and water emissions from the process which releases hazardous air pollutants and contaminants water.

In February 2018, a gas well in Belmont County experienced a blowout. The well released methane gas for 20 days before the leak could be contained. The total emissions from the 20-day event were estimated to be equivalent to the total annual emissions of several countries, or 120 metric tons per hour.

Given the significant contribution of methane gas to climate change and the environmental destruction caused by fracking, it is hard to understand why any educated person would call this energy source green. The only time “green” can legitimately be used to describe methane gas is when pointing out it is a potent greenhouse gas.

Last Updated: April 30, 2023 by main_y0ke11

Regulations needed

Feb 22, 2023 The Marietta Times

George Banziger

In last weekend’s edition of the Marietta Times there was a column describing the lack of confidence that the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, have, in the wake of the derailment earlier this month, for government and government officials. The column put a special focus on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Michael Regan. While there is good reason for the residents of East Palestine to lack confidence in government, any failures that the government has shown in responding to this crisis pale in comparison to the negligence, profit-driven insensitivity, and irresponsibility demonstrated by the Norfolk Southern Railway. In the past year they have enjoyed record-setting profits and have passed on twice as much of these profits to shareholders ($18 billion) than they have invested in maintenance of their infrastructure. In the past four years the rate of accidents on Norfolk Southern rails has increased each year (New York Times, Feb. 17). They offer no plan for notification of municipalities along their train routes concerning hazardous materials. The train that derailed earlier this month in East Palestine contained 151 total cars, adding considerable risk of accident all along its route.

Norfolk Southern and other railroad companies have squeezed their employees to work unusual and extended hours in order to cut their company costs. Last fall the union rail workers threatened a strike over the issue of hours worked and lack of time off; the strike was averted by federal action, but the problem of over-extended workers remains.

Many politicians express antagonism and resistance to government regulation, but, clearly, in this case there need to be common-sense, pointed regulations at the federal level for these interstate transportation companies in the interest of public safety, health, and environmental justice: to require them to notify communities on their routes about hazardous materials, to install modern braking systems, to utilize stronger tank cars, to limit the number of cars on these trains, to inspect, repair, and maintain their rail routes, and to provide adequate recovery and rest time for their overworked employees.

Last Updated: April 30, 2023 by main_y0ke11

Climate Corner: Demand accountability for derailment damage

Feb 18, 2023

Eric Engle

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

If you’ve been paying much attention to the headlines in the last couple weeks, you’ve probably heard about the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3. Following the derailment, citizens in the vicinity had to be evacuated as a burn off of the primary substance in the cars, vinyl chloride, was undertaken to avoid a possible explosion and the flying shrapnel and other dangers that would likely have resulted.

Vinyl chloride is a flammable, colorless gas used in making countless plastics products that can cause headaches, dizziness and drowsiness with short-term exposure, but has been linked to a rare liver cancer with long-term exposure. Vinyl chloride was not the only toxic substance in the wreckage. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to Norfolk Southern following the derailment detailing other hazardous chemicals found. Included in the list were the following, according to reporting by Environmental Health News:

* Ethylhexyl acrylate, an eye, skin, and respiratory irritant that is toxic to aquatic life.

* Ethylene glycol monobutyl, a carcinogen that can be absorbed through the skin and cause liver and kidney damage.

* Butyl acrylate, an extremely flammable chemical that can burn skin and eyes and cause permanent lung damage.

* Isobutylene, a highly flammable compound that can irritate eyes, nose, and throat, and cause coma or death at high levels of exposure.

Testing has revealed the presence of these chemicals and others in the Ohio River, though there seems to be agreement among federal regulators and regulators in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia that water in most municipal systems that pull from or are influenced by the Ohio River is safe to consume and use. Regulators are encouraging users of private wells to have their wells tested. With approximately 3,500 dead fish being found in tributaries to the Ohio River around the East Palestine area, I am not advising anyone reading this to simply trust said regulators. Unfortunately, it is now incumbent upon us all to find all the reliable information we can and make the most informed decisions possible on water filtration and whether or not we should be consuming and using bottled water and for how long.

The air pollution plumes seem to be moving due Northeast, based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plotted on and after Feb. 8. One Twitter user noted earlier this week that they and their family live across Lake Erie in Ontario, Canada, and have had headaches and dealt with the smell of chlorine for a solid week. Those are the kinds of issues we can most likely expect right now, but what about the longer term?

Gerald Poje, an expert in environmental health and former member of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, was quoted in the New York Times saying, “The volume is just stupendous. It is just horrific to think about how much was released and how much was purposefully burned. There could be hundreds of different breakdown products that still remain, for which we have often very poor toxicological profiles. We’re oftentimes in this unknown place.” To restore service of the rail line quickly, it appears toxic chemicals were buried at the site of the wreck. Soil contamination could lead to contamination of groundwater and soil used by local gardeners and farmers.

Representatives of Norfolk Southern refused to show up to a local town hall meeting in East Palestine recently, stating that they feared for their physical safety due to “outside influences,” while providing no evidence that they had any cause for such concerns. Railroad union members have been warning for months that risks of such derailments ran high as cost-cutting measures were taken by the railroad companies that threatened transportation safety. According to reporting by USA Today, “Efforts to reduce costs including lobbying against costly regulation, increasing train lengths, reduced inspection times and major cuts to the railroad workforce have made trains less safe,” said labor representatives and industry experts, “increasing the potential for accidents like the one in Ohio to become more common.”

The Obama administration managed to pass a safety rule for the transport of hazardous materials in 2015, but the rule was fought and weakened by lobbyists, including lobbyists from Norfolk Southern, and was repealed three years later by the Trump administration. The Department of Transportation under Secretary Pete Buttigieg has made no apparent attempt to restore the rule or to write and implement any new rule, in spite of the months of warnings mentioned above. The Biden administration and Congress recently imposed a contract the administration negotiated with the rail companies on the railroad unions, despite the majority of union members voting to reject it, leaving these workers with the impossible choice of accepting unacceptable work and sick leave conditions or unlawfully striking and shouldering the blame for economic calamity.

How many will now suffer and die, and for how long, because our government capitulated to corporate interests (almost 3/4 of Norfolk Southern stock is owned by private equity firms) instead of listening to labor and protecting public health and our lived environment? We the people must demand accountability!

***

Eric Engle is chairman of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.

Last Updated: April 30, 2023 by main_y0ke11

Climate Corner: Goodbye, Tuvalu; alas, I hardly knew you

FEB 11, 2023

LINDA EVE SETH

Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Corner
editorial@newsandsentinel.com

“Goodbyes make you think. They make you realize what you’ve had, what you’ve lost, and what you’ve taken for granted.” — Ritu Ghatourey

***

Anyone who has stood on a sandy beach and watched the waves pound the shore will recognize that the ocean changes the land it touches rapidly and dramatically. Simultaneously, the ocean absorbs the carbon dioxide responsible for rising temperatures, increasing acid levels in the saltwater, eroding protective reef formations, and reducing the survival of fish stocks upon which many island nations subsist. This threatens to consume the land of low-lying islands and the limited freshwater reserves.

The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), established in 1990, represents a group of 44 island nations. The small island states, scattered across the planet, are recognized as being especially vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change. The extent of the concern and the potential harmful effects have resulted in the AOSIS becoming a powerful lobbying and driving force in carbon emission reductions.

AOSIS fights against the circumstances that threaten to destroy their very existence. Its members are among the nations least responsible for climate change, having contributed less than 1% to the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. These states advocate for international policy and mechanisms for addressing the inequity of climate impacts.

Tuvalu, is one of the first countries in the world that will need to tackle the challenge of swelling oceans. An island nation of nine atolls between Australia and Hawaii is home to 11,500 people (2021). The country averages 6.5 feet above sea level, but the rising seas are steadily reducing the distance.

Between 1992 and 2020 the global sea level rose eight inches. A panel of scientists estimates that sea levels will rise an additional 20 inches by 2100 if the world can drastically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions between now and then. If not, these figures could almost double.

While rising sea levels influence the entire planet, they pose the greatest threat to islands close to sea level. Here are islands, like Tuvalu, many of them small nations, under threat by climate change. There are many more.

Maldives is a picturesque chain of 1,190 islands in the Indian Ocean. 80% of Maldives sit less than 3.3 feet from the ocean’s surface, putting the nation at great risk of storm surges, tsunamis, and rising seas. Experts predict the Maldives may be underwater by 2050.

Cabo Verde, off the coast of western Africa, consists of nearly 600 miles of coastline, threatened by flash floods, tropical cyclones, and torrential rains. As a result, this nation is in danger as the planet warms and seas rise.

Fiji, an island nation in the South Pacific, features 330 low lying islands whose coast lands are the most densely populated and at the greatest risk.

Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean consist of 607 islands containing both mountains and low-lying coral atolls and many are sinking. Marine species living throughout Micronesia are being negatively affected by ocean acidification and increased temperatures

Solomon Islands is a sovereign nation in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Papua New Guinea, comprised of a collection of 992 distinct islands and atolls. Five of those islands have already disappeared due to rising sea levels from 1947 to 2014, and more are likely to share a similar fate.

Closer to home, Tangier Island, off the coast of Virginia in the Chesapeake Bay, has lost 65% of its landmass since 1850, and some of the roughly 700 residents are already being displaced as their homes flood with seawater.

Seychelles, a biodiverse and naturally beautiful archipelago comprised of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, is an East African country. The Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean are made up of 1,225 islands spread over 29 coral atolls. If the sea levels rise just 3.3 feet more, much of both of these nations will be lost.

Meanwhile, in Tuvalu, residents continue to live under the constant threat of being washed away from their island homes as climate events become more severe. Their Prime Minister, Enele Sopoaga, asks an important question: “If you were faced with the threat of the disappearance of your nation, what would you do?”

Until next time; be kind to your Mother Earth.

***

Linda Eve Seth, SLP. M.Ed. is a mother, grandmother, concerned citizen, and member of MOVCA.

Last Updated: April 28, 2023 by main_y0ke11

Ohio counties lose money by snubbing renewables

Feb. 10, 2023

Letter to the Editor, Salem News

Randi Pokladnik

A public meeting will be held at 9:15 am on February 15 at 105 S. Market Street, Lisbon to

gather comments regarding requests to “bar large scale solar and wind farm facilities from

building in unincorporated areas of Fairfield, Franklin, Perry and West townships.

The county commissioners went on record last year against the 145 MW Kensington Solar

project. Resolutions from trustees said the construction of any type of large wind warm or solar

facility “would not be in the best interests of the residents.”

Unfortunately, misinformation, ill-conceived laws, and politicians catering to the fossil fuel

industry are all contributing to many Ohio counties missing out on economically and

environmentally beneficial renewable energy projects.

In 2021, the Ohio legislature passed HB 52 which allows county commissioners to restrict areas

for the development of large scale wind and solar projects. The bill is “specific to wind and solar

and places no restrictions on any other types of energy” such as fracked methane gas.

According to the International Energy Agency report, solar now provides the cheapest electrical

energy in the world. Major companies are investing in solar for its economic value and to lessen

their impacts on the planet.

While other states move forward with renewable energy projects, Ohio remains in the past.

Sadly, there are many misconceptions about renewable energy and groups are using

pseudoscience to slow down the transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy.

Universities, including Ohio State, are studying how crops can be grown under solar panels in a

process called agrivoltaics. Plants like tomatoes, kale, beets, garlic, carrots and lettuce actually

grow better in the shelter of panels that help hold moisture and protect the plants from intense

rain and hail events. Sheep can graze under solar panels, solar panels actually create more plant

diversity for endangered pollinators and help bee populations, and solar panels can provide

habitat for wild animals.

Solar panels are not toxic and contain only trace amounts of metals which are sealed into the

panel itself. New technology shows that both glass and trace metals can be recycled from solar

panels.

I live in Harrison County, where we recently welcomed the construction of the Nottingham 100

MW solar farm in Athens Township. This project will provide clean, renewable energy to the

Ohio bulk transmission system. During the public meeting held by the Ohio Power Siting Board

on May 18, 2022, local trade unions came out to support the project which could bring up to 400

projected local construction jobs. No one who was in attendance expressed opposition.

It was announced recently that Nottingham Solar and the county commissioners entered into a

payment in lieu of taxes agreement. The county school district, Belmont/Harrison JVS, county

libraries, health department, and Athens Township will be receiving $29 million ($700,000 to

$900,000 per year) from the 35-year agreement.

Last Updated: April 30, 2023 by main_y0ke11

Climate action group accepting youth ambassador applications

Feb 8, 2023 The Marietta Times

Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action (MOVCA) is now accepting applications for its Youth Climate Ambassador program for the coming school year. Students in the Mid-Ohio Valley who will be in grades 9-12 in the 2023-2024 academic year are eligible to apply.

Climate ambassadors will implement a community environmental project over the course of the academic year in either their school or the larger community to address a climate-related issue. MOVCA provides up to $250 for project expenses.

Projects will be proposed by the students based on their interests and developed with support from MOVCA’s program coordinator and a teacher-mentor. The program will also help students develop the organizational and leadership skills needed to carry out a long-term environmental project. Upon completion of the program, MOVCA will award a $150 cash stipend to the student for their work.

Applications for the program are being accepted now through March 31. Students do not need to have developed a project idea for the application, but they should have a genuine interest in the issues of climate and the environment. The application form, as well as a summary of current projects being implemented by the 2022-2023 ambassador cohort, is available online at movcayouth.wordpress.com.

Students who submit an application will be contacted around the beginning of April to schedule an interview, and new ambassadors will be notified by the end of April, exact date TBD.

For more information, please contact the program coordinator at movca.youth@gmail.com

Find Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action on the following social media:

Check out our Facebook group and join a conversation

Recent Comments
    Archives
    Categories

    Copyright © 2025 · All Rights Reserved · Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action

    Nonprofit Website by GivingPress · RSS Feed · Log in