Nov 20, 2021
Cynthia Burkhart
editorial@newsandsentinel.com
As I am writing this, more than 190 world leaders and tens of thousands of negotiators, government representatives, businesses, and citizens are gathering in Glasgow, Scotland for the 26th Global Climate Summit, COP26. From Oct. 31 to Nov. 12, they were to be working on reaching agreements, setting targets, and developing strategies for reducing global warming. For nearly 30 years, the U.N. has been bringing together representatives from almost every country on earth for global climate summits, called COPs, which stands for “Conference of the Parties.” This year’s summit, COP26, was originally scheduled for 2020, but was delayed one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2015, the Global Climate Change summit (COP21) was held in Paris. History was made when, for the first time, every country attending agreed to work together to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees C, aiming for 1.5 degrees. This became known as the “Paris Agreement.” As part of this agreement, every country committed to developing national plans detailing how much they would reduce their emissions. They also agreed to present an updated plan every five years, which is why this year’s summit is so important — this is the year for those updated plans.
Unfortunately, the plans made in Paris did not come close to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. Continuing under those targets would result in global warming well over 3 degrees by 2100, which could be catastrophic. Let us hope that our world leaders recognize this and develop new targets and strategies. We must find ways to produce less carbon than we take out of the atmosphere, in other words, reach “net zero,” by 2050, to achieve the goal of limiting global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees.
Have we made any progress? Yes. Solar and wind energy are now the cheapest electricity in most countries, and a growing industry. Many car manufacturers are moving to making only hybrid or electric models. Some cities, states, and regions are working toward reducing their emissions to zero. More natural areas are being protected, and trees are being planted, which sequester carbon. New agricultural practices are being developed to make the soil better able to store carbon.
The U.K. is a leading example of what can be accomplished. It was the first country to pledge to reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2035. Its economy has grown by 78 percent over the last 30 years, while its emissions have been reduced by 44 percent. Nine years ago, 40 percent of the U.K.’s electricity came from coal. Today it is only 2 percent, and coal will be entirely phased out by 2024. The sale of new gas and diesel cars will end by 2030. The U.K. is planting trees on 74,000 acres of land per year by 2025, and is working with farmers on improving the carbon-holding capabilities of agricultural land. The U.K. is the world’s largest producer of off-shore wind power. On the international scene, the U.K. is spending over $16 billion over the next five years to help developing countries with climate change, with at least $4 billion of that focused on nature-based solutions. Impressive! Let us hope that other nations, including our own, will commit to meeting the goal of reaching net zero by 2050, and take actions, as the U.K. has, to make that happen.
In the here and now, at home, each one of us can make a difference. Small steps, but if every one of us takes them, they will become giant steps towards a healthier, cooler, safer planet. Here are some things you can do:
1. Plant trees. Trees take in carbon and exhale oxygen, which we breath. Trees store carbon, provide shade, and moderate temperature.
2. Improve your lawn and garden soil. Adding organic matter, such as peat moss, chopped leaves, compost, and manure, and using cover crops, increases the soil’s capacity to store carbon.
3. Use renewable energy. Install solar panels at your home, or purchase your power from a facility that generates from solar or wind.
4. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. You’ve heard this mantra for years — now please do it! Landfills create methane, 25 percent more potent than CO2.
5. Eat for a climate-stable planet. Eat more meat-free meals (Livestock is a huge source of methane!) Buy organic and local food — support your local farm market. Grow your own food. Don’t waste food. Compost your food waste.
6. Buy a hybrid or electric car.
7. Shopping on-line? Choose slower shipping. 1-day shipping means more delivery trips.
8. Walk or bike instead of driving, or carpool. Combine errands to save on trips.
9. Get an energy audit on your house, and follow up on ways to save energy.
10. Contact your elected officials. Urge them to take bold actions to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change.
***
Cynthia Burkhart is a gardener, goat herder and concerned citizen living in Ritchie County, with solar power.
Last Updated: April 28, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Recent Tornadoes bring climate change to the forefront
Dec 17, 2021
George Banziger
While our immediate attention should be directed at relief efforts for the thousands of people who have lost loved ones, are injured, homeless, and without jobs and their personal possessions, we should still reflect upon the significance of these powerful storms that devastated parts of Arkansas, Illinois, and Kentucky in this month of December.
These storms bring to vivid relief the reality that the effects of climate change are already upon us. On the day before these tornados, as they formed in the Great Plains, temperatures in Arkansas and Kansas reached the 80s.
Warm air holds more moisture than cold air, and the air over the Gulf of Mexico has heated significantly during climate change and feeds air currents that move south to north. In this case the moisture-laden warm air collided with a cold jet stream from the north and created a super-cell event in the form of a string of thunderstorms and tornados. Dr..Michael Mann, a climate scientist at Penn State University, recently noted that debris from this storms reached heights of 30,000 feet and were carried over 200 miles away; winds in these storms exceeded 150 miles per hour.
The jet stream, Dr Mann explains, is getting more “wobbly,” and this is creating deeper high- and low-pressure weather systems–hotter periods producing droughts and wetter periods producing floods. Climate scientists are also noting that “tornado alley” is moving eastward from the Great Plans (Kansas and Oklahoma) to the areas which were most recently struck by tornados. Climate scientists admit that attributing tornados directly to climate change this soon after the event is complicated, and time will be needed to make this attribution certain, but preliminary evidence in this case points to the warming climate.
We witnessed the fringe of this extreme weather system here in the Mid-Ohio Valley on Saturday morning, December 11.
When I was on my regular early-morning run through Devola, I experienced a torrential downpour and high winds that drove me to head home as soon as I could, It is just a matter of time until our area is struck by some form of severe weather, as it was in 2012 by the derecho event. This kind of extreme weather is often described as a “natural disaster.” There is nothing natural about weather events that are generated and exacerbated by human-induced climate change. It is the high level of greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity–mainly the burning of fossil fuels-that is feeding these extreme weather events.
What can be done to address this problem? Simply stated, Congress needs to pass the Build Back Better Bill with its provisions to address climate change. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia is key to this legislative agenda, and his state, with its many hills and hollows, is positioned to suffer some of the greatest hardship from extreme weather. Let him know your concern and his need to act responsibly.
Last Updated: January 9, 2022 by main_y0ke11
MC Global Marketing Students Win MOVCA 2021 PSA Contest
Dec 14, 2021
Photo provided: Students in Marietta College Global Marketing class, with PSA contest winners holding prize checks awarded by MOVCA.
Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action awarded prizes to two teams from the Global Marketing class at Marietta College, the winners in the “Climate Change: Change the Future” Public Service Announcement Contest.
The PSA created by MC students Justin Reynolds, Anna Callow, Alexis Scadden, and Garrett French took the top prize of $300. The team of Austin Meese, Keita Saito, Elijah Balek, Cleveland Wilder, Carsy Wilder, Sydney Huffman, and Chelsea Luciano won the runner-up $150 prize. R. Nicole Byrd, Visiting Assistant Professor of Marketing at Marietta College, used the contest as part of the class curriculum.
The contest, “Climate Change: Change the Future,” challenged area high school and college students to create a broadcast quality 25-second public service announcement that would teach the community about climate change — and inspire action for a better future. The target audience for the short videos was high school to college-age young people.
Entries in the contest were given their first public showing December 2, 2021, at MOVCA’s meeting on Zoom, followed by an interactive discussion about young people’s differing views of the climate crisis and how the contest participants used the PSA to reach their peers. Contest judges also discussed their criteria for evaluating the entries.
The winning PSAs will appear on MOVCA’s website and will be aired on local media and may be submitted for airing to other broadcast and cable networks at the discretion of MOVCA.
“Watch for these PSAs, coming soon to your local media!” said Jean Ambrose, who moderated the December 2nd discussion. “We were very pleased with all the entries, and we learned a great deal about what younger folks think we can do to take climate action for a better future.”
Last Updated: April 28, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Climate Corner: Industry shills making the public pay more
Dec 11, 2021
Eric Engle
editorial@newsandsentinel.com
We at Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action understand the transition to hybrid and electric vehicles will take time as both the government and private sector move to accommodate the infrastructure needs of EVs and plug-in hybrids and as folks are still tied to financing for their current internal combustion engine vehicles, etc. But we also know that the sooner we can make these transitions, the less things like oil price spikes will impact our personal finances. Let’s take a look at those oil price spikes and who is behind them.
The government watchdog group Accountable.US recently released a report that showed that the largest oil and gas companies made a combined $174 billion in profits for the first nine months of this year, as reported to the public by The Guardian newspaper.
The Guardian reports, “The bumper profit totals, provided exclusively to the Guardian, show that in the third quarter of 2021 alone, 24 top oil and gas companies made more than $74 billion in net income. From January to September, the net income of the group, which includes Exxon, Chevron, Shell and BP, was $174 billion.”
The Guardian reporting continues, “The analysis of major oil companies’ financials shows that 11 of the group gave payouts to shareholders worth more than $36.5 billion collectively this year, while a dozen bought back $8 billion-worth of stock.”
“The oil and gas industry has fought Joe Biden’s attempts to pause new drilling permits on federal land,” the reporting states, “despite its unwillingness to expand operations in order to reap the returns of costlier oil and the fact the industry currently sits on 14 million acres of already leased land that isn’t being used, an area about double the size of Massachusetts.”
“A lot of this has been driven by investor sentiment,” said Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, to The Guardian regarding the current reluctance by oil and gas companies to expand production. “They don’t want them to spoil the party.”
While those of us still driving internal combustion engine vehicles and hybrids are facing the highest gas prices in seven years, these oil and gas companies and their investors are riding high and making sure they don’t do anything to slow their cash flow, like producing more oil on lands they already have leased. I don’t want to stay beholden to a system like this, do you? And, as the reporting from The Guardian concludes, “Aside from its role in the current high gasoline prices, the oil and gas industry is a leading driver of the climate crisis, the reality of which it sought to conceal from the public for decades and is a key instigator of the air pollution that kills nearly 9 million a year, a death toll three times that of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.”
None of this is to say that electric utilities or those who regulate them are much better to consumers. After all, the West Virginia Public Service Commission did just saddle West Virginia ratepayers who are Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power customers with about $483 million in costs for upgrading three old coal fired power plants to meet air quality standards, keeping them uneconomically running past 2028. And I just saw in the Marietta Times where the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio asked for edits to the draft of a report of an auditor it hired to remove language like “keeping the [coal fired] plants running does not seem to be in the best interests of the ratepayers.” This language was not included in the publicly released report from the auditor.
Unlike with private oil and gas companies, however, at least we have some electoral control over who is appointed to agencies like PUCO and WVPSC. We need to elect Governors who will stop appointing industry shills and cronies to these bodies and will instead appoint people who will look out for us as electricity consumers. Ohio, you’re electing a Governor again this coming year. Choose wisely! And the more affordable that renewable energy at the household level becomes, the easier it will be for more and more of us to go off-grid and pursue true energy independence, including when charging our cars or using our EVs as generators!
So much of our inflationary problems right now are being driven by corporate greed. Gasoline is one area where we don’t have to continue to be beholden to these greedy, selfish inflation profiteers. Ditching internal combustion engines as fast as possible just makes sense and saves cents! Sen. Manchin needs to sign off on the Build Back Better Act, along with all of his fellow Senate Democrats, as soon as possible to help more of us make the transition to EVs and save us money. And the additional tax credits for purchases of EVs made by U.S. union labor needs to remain in the legislation!
***
Eric Engle is chairman of the not-for-profit volunteer organization Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, Board Member for the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, and Co-Chairman of the Sierra Club of West Virginia Chapter’s Executive Committee.
Last Updated: April 28, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Climate Corner: A bipartisan infrastructure bill
Dec 4, 2021
George Banziger
editorial@newsandsentinel.com
On Nov. 15 President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. In August the U.S. Senate had passed the bill with 19 Republicans voting for it, and on Nov. 6 the House of Representatives passed it with several Republicans offering their support. Among those House Republicans was Rep. David McKinley, R-WV-1. Kudos to Mr. McKinley for his expression of support for the interests of the people of West Virginia above the preference of the majority of his political party.
There are several features of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill that are related to addressing the time-urgent issue of climate change and associated environmental issues which impact the Mid-Ohio Valley: there is $8 billion for prevention of flooding risks — a growing threat when extreme weather events visit the hills and hollows of West Virginia; abandoned mine land clean up and water restoration–a pressing problem as coal diminishes in its value as an affordable source of energy — will receive $2.2 billion; there is $65 billion to expand broadband access, much of which will benefit the rural areas of our region; another $50 billion is allocated to clean water and removing lead from municipal water pipes; there is $27.5 billion designated for bridge repair and replacement, and $1 billion for Great Lakes restoration.
A notable feature of the bill for our region is $4.7 billion allocated for orphaned oil and gas well sites including plugging, remediation, and restoration. It is estimated that it costs $33,000 per abandoned well just to plug and $76,000 for surface restoration (Energy News Network, May 20, 2021). These wells are capable of emitting methane, which produces 84 times the greenhouse gas emissions as carbon dioxide and accounts for 20 percent of the world’s GHG emissions.
The amount allocated to this problem in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill will in no way solve the entire problem of abandoned wells, but it will take an important step forward in capping 81,000 abandoned wells. In the Ohio Valley region alone, comprised of the states of Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, it is estimated that it will cost $25 billion-$34 billion to address the entire issue of abandoned wells (Ohio River Valley Institute, 2021). Just in the state of Ohio there are 183,090 abandoned oil and gas wells (ORVI, 2021). There is also a salutary effect on job creation associated with these efforts at plugging oil and gas wells and restoring land and water associated with this equipment; there can be as many as 120.000 jobs created by this enterprise in the U.S. (Forbes, 2020) and over 30,000 just in the Ohio River Valley (ORVI, 2021).
A deeper dive into the details of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill reveals some other features of the bill that can benefit our region. These include the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program to support projects that enhance tourism and economic development in rural areas and ecosystem restoration in federal lands, which include, in West Virginia, the Appalachian Trail, New River Gorge and Ohio River Islands. Many of the projects supported by the bill that relate to highway and bridge development acknowledge environmental concerns, such as arranging for efficient storm run off in culverts, improving habitat of aquatic species, and facilitating fish passage. Invasive-plant elimination along rights of way is targeted as a way to support native plants species while building much-needed transportation infrastructure.
The bill identifies some specific geographic projects in areas like the Columbia River Basin in the northwest, the Colorado River Basin in the southwest, and the Chesapeake Bay on the east coast. While these regions might need special attention for infrastructure development, we in Appalachia have long been neglected when it comes to major federal investment. As the group ReImagine Appalachia has pointed out, it is well passed time for the Ohio River region, much of which includes Appalachia, to get its fair share of federal dollars so that it can envision a new economy, which is less based on extractive industries and more based on manufacturing and development of renewable energy resources. I urge readers to press our federal legislators to ensure that Appalachia gets its share of the benefits of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and other federal investments in a new economy.
***
George Banziger, Ph..D., was a faculty member at Marietta College and an academic dean at three other colleges. Now retired, he is a volunteer for the Mid-Ohio Valley Interfaith, and Harvest of Hope. He is a member of the Green Sanctuary Committee of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Marietta, Citizens Climate Lobby, and of the Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action team.
Last Updated: April 28, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Climate Corner: Volunteers can make a difference
Nov 27, 2021
Reed Byers
editorial@newsandsentinel.com
Appalachia is home to me. It is a place that holds rich history, majestic natural resources, and a deep-rooted culture that is duplicated nowhere else. A beautiful thing about our region is that we are all so closely connected to one another. Our connections come through our commonalities, and I believe we have more in common than apart. One thing we all have in common is that the Mid-Ohio Valley is our environment. The healthier our environment is, the healthier we will be – individually and as a community.
How does one measure the health of their environment? We can sample our local drinking water to determine its safety, detect for radiation, monitor air quality, and track the spread of diseases. We can also simply look around us to make a fair assessment. Observation is a strong skill that requires only the investment of time and attention. I encourage you to join me in the first step of the scientific method: make an observation that describes a problem.
The Mid-Ohio Valley has plenty of them. We also have much to be proud of and limitless potential. As a volunteer for Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, I want to be part of the solutions. These changes can sometimes seem lofty and grand, but at the heart of it, we are just passionate about the health of the environment we live in. For me, this means bringing our community closer together to take action and beautify the world around us.
So how can we help MOVCA in its efforts? It begins with helping us identify what we want our community to be. What issues and solutions do you see? Is there history we need to know? I want to hear your vision, ideas, and dreams. Let’s share these with MOVCA. I implore you all to share actionable ideas we can work together on to create a healthier, happier, cleaner tomorrow.
Next, let’s start some conversations about how to make these changes. I recall driving through Parkersburg last summer with a friend and he asked me why our streets, sidewalks, and neighborhoods look the way they do? Pensive, he pondered aloud that we could do something about it. I agreed. Our community is the way we allow it to be. If we want it to be different, it is our responsibility to create the community we wish to live in. Since that conversation, I have started making choices to help build the community I want to live in. I carry trash bags with me on my long summer walks and collect trash throughout our neighborhoods. This is a small step toward a vision many others likely see.
While I may not be an environmental scientist, elected official, or city engineer, I am an effective community organizer and believe that a few more of us more regularly cleaning up our neighborhoods can create a positive ripple effect. Every small action matters. Many small steps make big progress.
To conclude, I invite you to join me and others in the community to start the change. Personally, I can offer my time to the community to work on at least one initiative that I know we can succeed in. One day per month I am happy to join a group of you to pick up trash in Parkersburg or Belpre neighborhoods. Reach out and let’s find a time and place to create environmental action here in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
If you would like to join this effort, contact me on my cell phone at 304-812-2884 or email reedbyers18@gmail.com.
Let’s unite and share ideas on ways we can continue to expand and improve positive change in our community.
***
Reed Byers is a member of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.
Last Updated: April 28, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Up to us to move forward
Nov 22, 2021
Charles Pickering
editorial@newsandsentinel.com
As West Virginians, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity before us. The bipartisan infrastructure bill President Biden signed into law includes tens of billions in funding for cleantech investments, and the reconciliation bill, if passed, would further build upon these efforts. Taken together, these actions will have a massive impact on our country’s energy sector and have the potential to diversify and strengthen West Virginia’s economy with growth, job opportunities, and more resilient communities.
Investing in a clean energy economy goes beyond wind and solar energy. It also builds on and improves our existing infrastructure through updates to the power grid, additional grid storage, and a significant new program limiting methane leaks and pollutants from abandoned mines and wells — which stands to spur even more job opportunities. Thanks to Sen. Manchin’s leadership on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the infrastructure bill includes investments that will directly benefit West Virginians: $12 billion for carbon capture storage technologies that can be utilized at existing power plants, $84 million for geothermal demonstration projects in regions like Appalachia, and $200 million for wildland restoration around abandoned mine sites. Notably, the infrastructure package also includes funding for legacy coal communities for worker re-training and redevelopment of former coal sites. For decades these communities powered the country — now it’s our turn to strategically reinvest in them.
Without direct action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, scientists tell us we will see more frequent and intensified deadly weather catastrophes — such as the devastating flooding events our state knows all too well. Through volunteer work with the Red Cross after wildfires in California and hurricanes in Louisiana, I know first-hand the devastation and disruption that natural disasters can reap. The infrastructure bill includes investments to harden the grid and make our roads and bridges more resilient to these extreme weather threats, but we also need to reduce our emissions to mitigate the impacts of a changing climate. The reconciliation bill, as currently funded, would help with $555B in investments in clean energy deployment, in which West Virginia could play a big part.
The clean energy sector is one of the fastest growing labor sectors in the U.S. A recent report by E2 found that 7,704 new jobs per year (www. e2.org) could be added in West Virginia over the next five years through investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and grid modernization. This number could be even greater given direct investment from private corporations in new clean energy projects.
Today, the U.S. Energy Employment Report (www.energy.gov) tells us that 12,700 West Virginians work in energy efficiency, renewable energy, alternative fuels, advanced grid technologies, and energy storage. This modest but growing clean energy workforce makes our state ripe for advancing and deploying new technologies.
To be honest, at this moment in time, we have some barriers to aggressively move on these opportunities. Shifting our perspective is one of the biggest challenges. We have years of policies and regulations that tether us to existing paradigms and limit our ability to access and engage with new technologies. It would be a shame to lose this opportunity to other regions that are not limited by these restrictions.
In the last 15 years, I have personally engaged with the solar and renewable energy markets in West Virginia and nearby states. I believe that investing in renewable technologies not only helps the environment but is also a great financial decision. As traditional energy sources are phased out, the new technologies associated with renewable energy generation and improving efficiency will only accelerate.
I believe we have an opportunity to build on the momentum of these wins that Sen. Manchin has already delivered for West Virginia by getting the reconciliation bill across the finish line to open up additional economic opportunities. West Virginia companies and individuals need to lean in on this momentum and be part of the technology development, engineering, and construction of these projects. We can play a foundational role in delivering a new energy future to our country.
West Virginia is uniquely poised to be able to deliver this to the eastern seaboard — we’re already wired for it. We have the land and the natural resources to grasp these opportunities and have our workforce ready and willing to help. It’s up to us and our senators to participate in a big way in the future of power generation going forward, and the Build Back Better bill will help us reach that future faster.
***
Charles Pickering of Williamstown is manager of Pickering Energy Solutions.
Last Updated: April 28, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Get the facts correct
Randi Pokladnik
Letters to the editor The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
Nov 20, 2021
A Nov. 13 letter titled “U.S. Weather Bureau Report” was a classic example of unsubstantiated claims. The author refers to the November 1922 edition of the Monthly Weather Review, titled “The Changing Arctic.” The report details the observations of both Norwegian scientist Dr. Hoel and Captain Martin Ingebrigsten. Both noted a dramatic increase in Arctic Sea temperatures around the Spitzbergen region between 1920-39. They also noted a lack of sea ice and disappearing glaciers. The geographic features of the region were “almost unrecognizable” from those of the same area from 1868-1917.
The report provided scientific evidence the region was experiencing the effects of a warming planet. Scientists did NOT claim “in just 18 months the earth will melt away.” However, a simple search of NASA data shows that indeed, glaciers all around the world are melting and this melting directly coincides with the increased burning of carbon-based fuels. Even the United States Geological Survey “climate gurus” report our own Glacier National Park has seen a 60 percent loss of glacier ice since 1966.
I was studying environmental engineering in college during the 1970s and none of my professors claimed “in as little as 3-7 years the oceans would entirely cover all land masses.” I would like to see the source of that statement. Ironically, if we had started to address carbon dioxide emissions in the 1970s our planet would be in a much better position to stave off the worst effects of the climate crisis.
The author goes on to claim that “CO2 spewed out in the eruption of one single volcanic event measures greatly more than humans (and moose and cattle) have collectively emitted since life began.” That is incorrect.
In a 2011 peer reviewed paper, U. S. Geological Survey scientist Terry Gerlach summarized data from previous global volcanic carbon dioxide emissions reaching back to the 1970s. The emissions of carbon dioxide measured about 0.2 billion tons per year on average.
In 2015, between fossil fuel combustion, land deforestation, and cement production, man-made emissions totaled about 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide, 200 times greater than volcanic action. To put our emissions in perspective, eruptions from “Mount St. Helens and Pinatubo released carbon dioxide on a scale similar to human output for about nine hours.”
The “Draconian measures” the writer says we will be subjected to include new jobs in the renewable energy sector, which employs almost twice as many workers as fossil fuels. It also includes new jobs in energy efficiency, electric car manufacturing and green building construction. All beneficial to our wallets and the economy.
American taxpayer dollars, $20 billion annually, are used to prop up the very industry that is the main contributor to climate change. The U.N. Development Program recently calculated the world spends $423 billion each year to subsidize oil, gas and coal — about four times the amount needed to help poor countries address climate change.
Exxon Mobil knew as early as 1977 their products were contributing to climate change, yet they spent decades and millions of dollars refusing to publicly acknowledge climate change and instead promoted climate misinformation.
Those “Godless scientific experts” the letter writer belittles are correct. He, however, is not. Refusal to accept scientific data will not bode well for our children’s futures.
Randi Pokladnik
Uhrichsville
Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action member
Last Updated: April 28, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Climate Corner: Resetting Earth’s thermostat
Nov 20, 2021
Cynthia Burkhart
editorial@newsandsentinel.com
As I am writing this, more than 190 world leaders and tens of thousands of negotiators, government representatives, businesses, and citizens are gathering in Glasgow, Scotland for the 26th Global Climate Summit, COP26. From Oct. 31 to Nov. 12, they were to be working on reaching agreements, setting targets, and developing strategies for reducing global warming. For nearly 30 years, the U.N. has been bringing together representatives from almost every country on earth for global climate summits, called COPs, which stands for “Conference of the Parties.” This year’s summit, COP26, was originally scheduled for 2020, but was delayed one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2015, the Global Climate Change summit (COP21) was held in Paris. History was made when, for the first time, every country attending agreed to work together to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees C, aiming for 1.5 degrees. This became known as the “Paris Agreement.” As part of this agreement, every country committed to developing national plans detailing how much they would reduce their emissions. They also agreed to present an updated plan every five years, which is why this year’s summit is so important — this is the year for those updated plans.
Unfortunately, the plans made in Paris did not come close to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. Continuing under those targets would result in global warming well over 3 degrees by 2100, which could be catastrophic. Let us hope that our world leaders recognize this and develop new targets and strategies. We must find ways to produce less carbon than we take out of the atmosphere, in other words, reach “net zero,” by 2050, to achieve the goal of limiting global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees.
Have we made any progress? Yes. Solar and wind energy are now the cheapest electricity in most countries, and a growing industry. Many car manufacturers are moving to making only hybrid or electric models. Some cities, states, and regions are working toward reducing their emissions to zero. More natural areas are being protected, and trees are being planted, which sequester carbon. New agricultural practices are being developed to make the soil better able to store carbon.
The U.K. is a leading example of what can be accomplished. It was the first country to pledge to reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2035. Its economy has grown by 78 percent over the last 30 years, while its emissions have been reduced by 44 percent. Nine years ago, 40 percent of the U.K.’s electricity came from coal. Today it is only 2 percent, and coal will be entirely phased out by 2024. The sale of new gas and diesel cars will end by 2030. The U.K. is planting trees on 74,000 acres of land per year by 2025, and is working with farmers on improving the carbon-holding capabilities of agricultural land. The U.K. is the world’s largest producer of off-shore wind power. On the international scene, the U.K. is spending over $16 billion over the next five years to help developing countries with climate change, with at least $4 billion of that focused on nature-based solutions. Impressive! Let us hope that other nations, including our own, will commit to meeting the goal of reaching net zero by 2050, and take actions, as the U.K. has, to make that happen.
In the here and now, at home, each one of us can make a difference. Small steps, but if every one of us takes them, they will become giant steps towards a healthier, cooler, safer planet. Here are some things you can do:
1. Plant trees. Trees take in carbon and exhale oxygen, which we breath. Trees store carbon, provide shade, and moderate temperature.
2. Improve your lawn and garden soil. Adding organic matter, such as peat moss, chopped leaves, compost, and manure, and using cover crops, increases the soil’s capacity to store carbon.
3. Use renewable energy. Install solar panels at your home, or purchase your power from a facility that generates from solar or wind.
4. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. You’ve heard this mantra for years — now please do it! Landfills create methane, 25 percent more potent than CO2.
5. Eat for a climate-stable planet. Eat more meat-free meals (Livestock is a huge source of methane!) Buy organic and local food — support your local farm market. Grow your own food. Don’t waste food. Compost your food waste.
6. Buy a hybrid or electric car.
7. Shopping on-line? Choose slower shipping. 1-day shipping means more delivery trips.
8. Walk or bike instead of driving, or carpool. Combine errands to save on trips.
9. Get an energy audit on your house, and follow up on ways to save energy.
10. Contact your elected officials. Urge them to take bold actions to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change.
***
Cynthia Burkhart is a gardener, goat herder and concerned citizen living in Ritchie County, with solar power.
Last Updated: April 28, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Manchin not serving the people of West Virginia
Local columns
Nov 13, 2021
Eric Engle
editorial@newsandsentinel.com
In the Nov. 6 and 7 edition of the Parkersburg News and Sentinel, oil and gas industry lobbyists wrote a propaganda piece for the ages. While I’m sure they’re quite grateful for the efforts of Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., polled majorities of West Virginians certainly are not.
The Build Back Better Act, which has been languishing for months because of Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona’s corporate and industry-fueled obstruction, is a once-in-a-generation investment in the working- and middle-class people of West Virginia and the entire nation. Guaranteed paid family and medical leave; extension of the child tax credit payments families have been receiving since passage of the American Rescue Plan; universal pre-K for all children ages 3 and 4; the largest, most substantial investments in our nation’s history in climate change mitigation and adaptation; and affordable childcare for working families, just to name a few provisions. These kinds of investments are what McPhail and Burd called an “amorphous political albatross.”
Like Manchin, McPhail and Burd don’t want the industries they represent held responsible for the damage they’ve caused. Manchin already killed the Clean Energy Performance Program, which would have required electric utilities to transition at least 4 percent of their energy portfolios annually to renewable and non-carbon sources, with rewards for doing so and penalties for failing to do so. Manchin’s opposition will also likely lead to the death of a fee on methane emissions for the oil and gas industry. Methane is up to 86-times more efficient at trapping heat in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, though it is shorter-lived in the atmosphere. These two provisions were two of the best shots we’ve had for serious emissions reductions, but I’m sure McPhail and Burd are glad they won’t be a reality any time soon.
McPhail and Burd mention the budgetary implications of the Build Back Better Act. That’s interesting, considering that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that just passed the House adds approximately $256 billion to our national debt, according to CBO estimates. I don’t remember hearing McPhail or Burd object to the $2 trillion in debt-fueled tax cuts for the wealthiest persons and entities in the country in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. And Manchin didn’t seem to have debt in mind when he voted recently for a $778 billion National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022 alone.
The Build Back Better Act has been whittled down to between $1.75 trillion and $1.85 trillion over ten years for people who aren’t just in the top 1 percent, 5 percent, or 10 percent of the socioeconomic ladder–cue the performative cries of socialism!
Investment in what is traditionally known as infrastructure (i.e. roads, bridges, ports) as well as broadband and other more modern infrastructure is very important, but progressives have been opposed to passing the bipartisan infrastructure framework because they have been the only ones negotiating in good faith. Progressives were originally looking at anywhere from $6 trillion to $10 trillion over the next decade to fuel a second industrial revolution in renewable energy and sustainability and social investments. They compromised that number down to $3.5 trillion with the Biden administration, and now it’s half of that. Manchin still won’t commit to voting for the Build Back Better Act. He’s conceded nothing. That’s not statesmanship, it’s brinksmanship and senseless obstruction.
Manchin is not “conducting a clinic about how an elected official should operate” by any stretch of the imagination. Manchin is executing the Mitch McConnell playbook to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory for meaningful change and for his own party’s political well-being. This may serve McPhail and Burd’s clients well, but it certainly doesn’t serve the interests of the people.
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Eric Engle is chairman of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.
Last Updated: April 28, 2023 by main_y0ke11
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Letters to the editor
Parkersburg News and Sentinel
Nov 13, 2021
Giulia Mannarino
We live in the most decisive decade for the future of our planet. The global scientists who raised the recent “Code Red For Humanity” alarm are dead serious. Global warming is real, urgent and accelerating. Systemic changes in policies, economies and politics are necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As climate scientist Michael E. Mann stated: “The science that we are doing is a threat to the world’s most powerful and wealthiest special interest that has ever existed: the fossil fuel industry … It is about the short-term interests of a small number of plutocrats over the long term welfare of this planet and the people who live on it.” Hopefully the leaders of world nations, who were not on track to meet past Paris commitments and who recently made pledges in Glasgow that are not enough to limit global warming, will surpass their COP26 commitments and take climate actions bold enough to address this existential threat to life on Earth before it is too late to save the grandchildren.
The fossil fuel industries and their executives, who earned billions while ignoring the warnings of their own scientists and the consequences of their actions, certainly bear responsibility for the costs involved to mitigate this crisis. However, humanity cannot leave the industries in charge of creating the problem in charge of the solution. Carbon capture, natural gas and petro chemicals, should not play any part in this future. The only viable solution is renewable generation in the energy sector as well as electrification of transportation. But the power to save the planet from destruction caused by humans isn’t only the responsibility of world leaders.
There are actions individuals can take to help slow down climate change.
Discuss climate change. Talking about climate change at the dinner table and elsewhere is important to transform the culture and mobilize at the scale necessary. Use the power of your vote. Vote in every election and put politicians in place that protect their constituents over corporations and believe in implementing already available solutions. Use the power of your wallet. Divest from banks etc. that finance and expand the climate problem. When shopping, support companies that are concerned about sustainability and their carbon footprint. If possible, purchase items second hand. Eat sustainably. Cut back on beef consumption, plant a garden or trees, shop locally.
Address impacts on the local community. Engage local networks, local institutions and local decision-makers to think about the impacts of climate change for the communities and regions where you live and how to make them more resilient.
Other actions: If you have special skills use them to fight for the climate; give up single-use plastics; if you can, switch from gas to electric vehicles and install solar panels.
And, of course, donate time or cash to local organizations, like Mid Ohio Valley Climate Action, that are dedicated to educating the public in our region about the climate crisis.
Giulia Mannarino
Belleville
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