Column in The Bargain Hunter Nov 20, 2020
by Randi Pokladnik
When we talk about climate change, we often fail to recognize the role that our oceans play in the bio-chemical cycles of the planet. We know from biology class that the planet is made up of spheres. The lithosphere includes the surface crust, the biosphere is all the living organisms, the atmosphere includes the layers of air surrounding and protecting the planet, and the hydrosphere contains all the solid, liquid and gaseous water of the planet.
The hydrosphere extends from Earth’s surface downward several kilometers into the lithosphere and upward about 12 kilometers into the atmosphere.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 97% of our planet’s water is salt water, and 3% is freshwater. Most of this freshwater is inaccessible. Over 68% of the freshwater is found in icecaps and glaciers, and just over 30% is found in ground water. Only about 0.3% is found in the surface water of lakes, rivers and swamps.
Climate change is dramatically affecting our hydrosphere, mainly our oceans. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Ocean and Cryosphere (frozen water) cited these changes in our oceans: acidification, increases in water temperature, sea-level rise, loss of oxygen and sea ice retreat.
Scientists tell us the absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide by Earth’s oceans has led to their “acidification.” What does this mean? Ocean water combines with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to create carbonic acid, the same acid in your soda pop. The higher the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere above the water, the more carbon dioxide that is absorbed.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “In the 200 years since the industrial revolution began, our oceans have seen a drop in pH of about 0.1 pH units.” This might not seem like much, but remember, the pH scale is logarithmic, so that drop means a 30% increase in ocean acidity.
As the oceans acidify, the organisms that inhabit the oceans are negatively impacted. Oysters and clams that make hard shells are particularly affected by acidification. The carbonate ions that organisms use to make shells instead combine with the excess hydrogen ions from the acids. This means less carbonate to make shells. Also, the lower pH of acids can even dissolve shells. A similar reaction is happening to ancient monuments affected by acidic rain.
“In the Pacific Northwest, baby oysters have died off by the billions. Their tiny shells dissolved before they were fully formed.” This will affect an industry that brings $11 million into the Pacific Northwest economy.
The oceans have seen unprecedented increases in water temperatures. A map produced by scientists of NOAA and NASA shows temperature increases in the oceans from 1955-2010. The overall increase in ocean heat content during those 55 years is equivalent to 2.5 billion times the energy released from the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.
Data shows 90% of the heat increases on the planet have gone into the oceans, and they show significant warming at the surface, as well as in the depths of the oceans. The ocean warming also has led to sea-level rise as warmer water expands.
Another factor to consider is water has a high specific heat, meaning it holds heat for a long period of time. When water is warmed, it takes a long time for it to cool down. Ocean temperatures today are a result of the enormous amount of heat that has been absorbed in the past 55 years.
This heat can damage organisms. An example of this can be observed at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. This reef is the largest coral reef in the world and home to more than 1,500 fish species. It is so large it can be seen from space and is one of the seven “natural” wonders of the world.
The reef is a source of food and provides protection from storms. In terms of its economic value, it represents $6.5 billion to the Australian economy, drawing more than 2 million tourists each year. In 2016 a massive heat wave killed 30% of the coral reef. This death, often called bleaching, happens when algae called zooxanthellae die. They are blue-green in color; therefore, once they die, the reef appears white. These algae have a symbiotic relationship with reef-building corals supplying energy and nutrients. Without them, the corals themselves often die.
Trout fishermen know trout like cold water, oxygen-rich streams. Warm water does not contain enough oxygen to support many fish species. As our oceans warm, they are losing oxygen gas. Andreas Oschlies, an oceanographer at the Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel in Germany, has a team that tracks worldwide oceanic oxygen levels. He said, “We were surprised by the intensity of the changes we saw, how rapidly oxygen levels are going down in the ocean and how large the effects on marine ecosystems are.”
The decline is worse in tropical regions, which show a 40% decrease in oxygen levels over the past 50 years, but even polar regions are seeing oxygen declines. These drops are especially harmful to zooplankton, which are the base of the ocean food web. Other species are affected and may not be able to reproduce as readily or get adequate food supplies. As oxygen-rich areas shrink, economically valuable fish like tuna, which globally generate $42 billion annually, are forced to find new habitats.
Lastly, climate change is affecting sea ice, which in turn is affecting sea levels. Since 1880 the mean sea level has risen about 8-9 inches, and a third of that increase has happened in the last 25 years. This rise is due to both thermal expansion of warmer water and also meltwater from glaciers and ice sheets.
The United Nations reported eight out of the 10 most populated cities are coastal cities and 40% of the USA’s population lives near a coastline susceptible to flooding. Meteorologists tell us that as the sea levels rise, storm surge is worse. We saw this with Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm “Sandy.” Warmer water means more intense storms too.
If we continue on this path with little to no changes, our oceans could see pH values as low as 7.8. The last time the ocean pH was this low was 14-17 million years ago. At that time the Earth was experiencing warming, as well as a major extinction event.
We know what past warming scenarios brought to the planet, yet we still are ignoring the issue and are reluctant to make any significant changes to our lifestyles. One might say we live in a country of “willful ignorance.”
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Time for Real Climate Efforts
Parkersburg News & Sentinel Letter to the Editor Nov 21, 2020
By Eric Engle
It’s become a fad of late for government, corporate and industrial entities to promise emissions reductions by the end of the decade and carbon neutrality by mid-century. These goals and commitments, at the very least, offer tacit acknowledgments of the climate crisis we find ourselves in and are a result of pressure by both shareholders and stakeholders. That’s admirable. But we’re not looking for the very least and what’s admirable; we’re looking for concrete action.
FirstEnergy, one of the largest investor-owned electric utilities in the country, headquartered in Akron, Ohio, has joined the chorus and said it is committing to carbon neutrality by 2050 and a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. I appreciate the few details the utility provided to the Associated Press about this commitment when the utility stated that it “plans to purchase electric or hybrid vehicles when replacing trucks in its fleet, including the large aerial vehicles used to repair power lines, building a large solar farm in West Virginia, and use advanced technology to help customers manage their energy use.” Electrifying transport, transitioning to renewable energy and maximizing energy efficiency while minimizing overall use are all critical. But this doesn’t even begin to get you to a 30 percent GHG reduction in 10 years or carbon neutrality by 2050. So what’s your plan? The devil, as they say, is in the details.
I also can’t help but notice the convenience of the timing of this announcement of climate concern. Could this be a PR distraction from a $60 million bribery investigation by the U.S. DOJ, the U.S. SEC, the Ohio Elections Commission and a panel of independent members of the company’s board of directors?
As of Jan. 20, 2021, we’ll finally have a presidential administration in this country with detailed plans and proposals for climate action, with and without Congress. It’s time for corporations, investors, industry, bankers and financiers, insurers, and all state and local governments, including West Virginia and the City of Parkersburg, to follow suit with detailed plans and proposals of their own — provision of undeniable proof of their commitments to climate action in the proverbial pudding.
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Climate Change is Affecting our Hydrosphere
Column in The Bargain Hunter Nov 20, 2020
by Randi Pokladnik
When we talk about climate change, we often fail to recognize the role that our oceans play in the bio-chemical cycles of the planet. We know from biology class that the planet is made up of spheres. The lithosphere includes the surface crust, the biosphere is all the living organisms, the atmosphere includes the layers of air surrounding and protecting the planet, and the hydrosphere contains all the solid, liquid and gaseous water of the planet.
The hydrosphere extends from Earth’s surface downward several kilometers into the lithosphere and upward about 12 kilometers into the atmosphere.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 97% of our planet’s water is salt water, and 3% is freshwater. Most of this freshwater is inaccessible. Over 68% of the freshwater is found in icecaps and glaciers, and just over 30% is found in ground water. Only about 0.3% is found in the surface water of lakes, rivers and swamps.
Climate change is dramatically affecting our hydrosphere, mainly our oceans. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Ocean and Cryosphere (frozen water) cited these changes in our oceans: acidification, increases in water temperature, sea-level rise, loss of oxygen and sea ice retreat.
Scientists tell us the absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide by Earth’s oceans has led to their “acidification.” What does this mean? Ocean water combines with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to create carbonic acid, the same acid in your soda pop. The higher the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere above the water, the more carbon dioxide that is absorbed.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “In the 200 years since the industrial revolution began, our oceans have seen a drop in pH of about 0.1 pH units.” This might not seem like much, but remember, the pH scale is logarithmic, so that drop means a 30% increase in ocean acidity.
As the oceans acidify, the organisms that inhabit the oceans are negatively impacted. Oysters and clams that make hard shells are particularly affected by acidification. The carbonate ions that organisms use to make shells instead combine with the excess hydrogen ions from the acids. This means less carbonate to make shells. Also, the lower pH of acids can even dissolve shells. A similar reaction is happening to ancient monuments affected by acidic rain.
“In the Pacific Northwest, baby oysters have died off by the billions. Their tiny shells dissolved before they were fully formed.” This will affect an industry that brings $11 million into the Pacific Northwest economy.
The oceans have seen unprecedented increases in water temperatures. A map produced by scientists of NOAA and NASA shows temperature increases in the oceans from 1955-2010. The overall increase in ocean heat content during those 55 years is equivalent to 2.5 billion times the energy released from the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.
Data shows 90% of the heat increases on the planet have gone into the oceans, and they show significant warming at the surface, as well as in the depths of the oceans. The ocean warming also has led to sea-level rise as warmer water expands.
Another factor to consider is water has a high specific heat, meaning it holds heat for a long period of time. When water is warmed, it takes a long time for it to cool down. Ocean temperatures today are a result of the enormous amount of heat that has been absorbed in the past 55 years.
This heat can damage organisms. An example of this can be observed at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. This reef is the largest coral reef in the world and home to more than 1,500 fish species. It is so large it can be seen from space and is one of the seven “natural” wonders of the world.
The reef is a source of food and provides protection from storms. In terms of its economic value, it represents $6.5 billion to the Australian economy, drawing more than 2 million tourists each year. In 2016 a massive heat wave killed 30% of the coral reef. This death, often called bleaching, happens when algae called zooxanthellae die. They are blue-green in color; therefore, once they die, the reef appears white. These algae have a symbiotic relationship with reef-building corals supplying energy and nutrients. Without them, the corals themselves often die.
Trout fishermen know trout like cold water, oxygen-rich streams. Warm water does not contain enough oxygen to support many fish species. As our oceans warm, they are losing oxygen gas. Andreas Oschlies, an oceanographer at the Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel in Germany, has a team that tracks worldwide oceanic oxygen levels. He said, “We were surprised by the intensity of the changes we saw, how rapidly oxygen levels are going down in the ocean and how large the effects on marine ecosystems are.”
The decline is worse in tropical regions, which show a 40% decrease in oxygen levels over the past 50 years, but even polar regions are seeing oxygen declines. These drops are especially harmful to zooplankton, which are the base of the ocean food web. Other species are affected and may not be able to reproduce as readily or get adequate food supplies. As oxygen-rich areas shrink, economically valuable fish like tuna, which globally generate $42 billion annually, are forced to find new habitats.
Lastly, climate change is affecting sea ice, which in turn is affecting sea levels. Since 1880 the mean sea level has risen about 8-9 inches, and a third of that increase has happened in the last 25 years. This rise is due to both thermal expansion of warmer water and also meltwater from glaciers and ice sheets.
The United Nations reported eight out of the 10 most populated cities are coastal cities and 40% of the USA’s population lives near a coastline susceptible to flooding. Meteorologists tell us that as the sea levels rise, storm surge is worse. We saw this with Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm “Sandy.” Warmer water means more intense storms too.
If we continue on this path with little to no changes, our oceans could see pH values as low as 7.8. The last time the ocean pH was this low was 14-17 million years ago. At that time the Earth was experiencing warming, as well as a major extinction event.
We know what past warming scenarios brought to the planet, yet we still are ignoring the issue and are reluctant to make any significant changes to our lifestyles. One might say we live in a country of “willful ignorance.”
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Campaign Signs for Bees
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) – For those in the Mid-Ohio Valley area who are wondering what they can do with their campaign signs in their yards, there is an alternative to simply throwing them out.
The Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action group is asking those in the area to donate campaign signs that will be used for bee apiaries.
The winter is difficult for the survival of bees and the organization will be looking to provide this different route in order to re-use the signs to help build additional space for bees.
The donations work two-fold as this will also reduce the landfill size.
“When we talk about the climate crisis, we’re talking about a lot of interwoven aspects of it. And an over-reliance on plastic is a big part of that,” says Aaron Dunbar of the Climate Action group. “Obviously, it’s a petroleum product. Even if that weren’t the case, we’re running out of landfill space and plastic just doesn’t break down. So anything we can do to make things less single-use and to find better purposes for things that will otherwise just get thrown in the trash, I mean why not go for it and see what good you can do with it.”
If you are looking to donate your campaign sign, you can go to one of the three different locations listed below:
–First Christian Church:1400 Washington Ave., Parkersburg, W. Va.
–First Unitarian Universalist Church: 232 Third St., Marietta, Ohio
–Seventh-Day Adventist Church: 1901 Park Ave., Parkersburg, W. Va.
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Help economy AND climate recover
Parkersburg News & Sentinel Letter to the Editor Nov 14, 2020
by Aaron Dunbar
It’s safe to say that a lot of interesting things happened on Nov. 3. But chief among them to me was a segment during Fox News’ election night coverage, during which hosts examined a voter analysis of average Americans’ opinions on a range of various issues.
Now, bear in mind, this is Fox News being discussed. Not CNN or MSNBC.
According to Fox News’ analysis, a combined 70 percent of Americans either somewhat or strongly favor increasing our government’s spending on renewable energy.
Just think about that for a moment. This is the same network that once featured Laura Ingraham trying to drink a steak stuffed with incandescent lightbulbs through a plastic straw in order to “trigger” liberals (to be honest most of us were far more baffled than triggered.)
So how do you explain such an unexpected development?
As a member of the nonpartisan organization Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, I’ve spent the past year working with a great group of folks to reach out and engage with members of our community. Chief among our efforts has been to distribute campaign yard signs to voters throughout the Mid-Ohio Valley, not endorsing any particular candidate or party, but simply encouraging people to vote for candidates who prioritize climate change and a shift toward renewable energy.
I’ll never forget the moment when, toward the end of our first public event since the start of the pandemic, a gentleman came up to where we were assembled, and asked for one of our yard signs.
“I’m a Republican,” he said, “but I agree we really need to start doing something about this.”
I happen to believe that certain modes of political thought are more equipped to tackle the existential threat of climate change than others. But at the end of the day, this is an issue that affects all of us, whether left, right, or center. And average Americans realize that fact, no matter how loudly an extremely vocal minority may try to insist otherwise.
That’s why Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action supports bold action on climate such as the THRIVE Agenda, a powerful framework for economic recovery that will create new jobs and opportunities for working Americans, as well as offering up bipartisan solutions to lead us toward a brighter, cleaner future.
Climate change is a universal issue, and it’s time to begin uniting around solutions that work for all of us.
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
A fact-based conversation about fracking
Local columns in The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
Oct 31, 2020 Randi Pokladnik
Let’s have a fact-based conversation about fracking rather than attempt to “greenwash” the industry and completely ignore the externalities as Greg Kozera’s Oct. 17 op-ed did in The Parkersburg News and Sentinel.
Fracking has been around since the Civil War in 1865. Horizontal high-pressure hydraulic fracturing aka fracking, became popular in the 1990s. It employs fracking along with the drilling of long lateral wells to extract oil and gas.
Economics was the main driving force behind the fracking boom. Charts found at the Energy Information Agency show oil demands increasing at the same time production was dwindling in the USA. Therefore, oil prices climbed, reaching a peak of $140 a barrel in 2009. This increase meant more money was available for oil companies to invest in a capital-intensive process like fracking.
Horizontal high-pressure hydraulic fracking requires major investments in infrastructure such as pipelines, compressor stations and fractionators it also requires water, sand and chemicals. The U.S. EPA and Department of Energy said that an average of seven million gallons of fluid are used for each well. If one percent are chemical additives, that means upwards of over 70,000 gallons of chemicals including biocides, surfactants, and anti-corrosive agents are required for each well. Additionally, a study by Yale Public Health found that of these hundreds of chemicals, over 80 percent have never been reviewed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Of the 119 that have been reviewed by IARC, 55 were found to be carcinogenic. Among the chemicals most frequently used in fracking, 24 are known to block the hormone receptors in humans, according to a 2017 study published in Science Direct.
Fracking has contaminated water wells and a 2020 article in the Journal of Petroleum Technology stated “wellbore integrity cannot be taken for granted.” The XTO Energy well blowout in Belmont County in February 2018 was from a “failure of the gas well’s casing or internal lining.” This blowout released the equivalent of an entire year’s worth of methane by oil and gas industries in countries like France.
Methane gas is much more potent than carbon dioxide as a heat-trapping gas and according to a study in Biogeosciences, a significant portion of the anthropocentric methane emission increases are due to the fracking boom in North America.
The waste water left over after a well is fracked is known as “produced water.” In addition to brine, which is a result of the prehistoric conditions which formed the oil and gas reserves, the waste also contains radioactive materials (Radium -226 and Radium-228) and any chemicals initially injected with the fluid.
In 1978, the EPA exempted oil and gas wastes from exploration and production activities from the hazardous waste management program Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. This includes produced water, drilling fluids and drill cuttings. Yet, in 2002 the EPA admitted that just because the wastes were exempt this did not mean that wastes could not present a hazard to human health and the environment.
The oil and gas industries are also exempt or excluded from certain sections of these federal environmental laws: Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act and Emergency Planning and Community Right-to Know Act.
To claim that “millions of jobs” will go away if fracking is banned is misleading at best. The industry has been in decline for several years. An August 2020 article in OilPrice.com stated, “Driven by low prices not seen much in modern history, formerly high-flying shale drillers like Chesapeake Energy have gone bankrupt. The Service providers like Halliburton and Schlumberger have written off tens of billions worth of fracking-related equipment, closed facilities and laid off thousands of workers.”
Unlike oil and gas, solar and wind “feedstock” is free and as pointed out in a recent CleanTechnica article, “it takes years to design, build and activate any coal or gas-powered facility.” A 50 MW wind farm can be built in six months. Residential solar can be installed in a few days.
Internal reports show oil and gas industry scientists knew back in the 1980s about the negative effects their products would have on the earth’s climate. Yet, for nearly thirty years they spent millions of dollars promoting climate denial. They also realized clean renewable energy is quickly replacing dirty fossil fuels. In order to save their bottom line, they are now pushing plastics production as a use for fracked gas.
About 42 percent of the 300 million tons of plastic produced each year is used once and thrown away. This includes beverage bottles, take out containers and plastic wrap. Our planet is literally drowning in plastic, it is in the tap water, beer, fish, soil and air. Microplastics and toxic plasticizers permeate our bodies and we are paying for the convenience of plastic with our health.
Wind and solar energy development in the USA lags behind most developed nations. This is not because of a lack of technology or the ability of these sources to supply energy. It is simply a matter of politics and subsidies. HB 6 in Ohio is an example of how the energy industry pays politicians to thwart the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency. USA fossil fuel subsidies are $20 billion a year.
I suggest everyone take ten minutes to read the brief document called “The Green New Deal.” It calls for “achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions through a fair and just transition for all communities and workers” and to ” eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions as much as technologically feasible.” It does not say we will do away with all fossil fuels.
The fact is our planet is in trouble. A wise person would think twice before investing in plastic-making companies that squander a finite resource to make beverage bottles and take-out containers. A wise person would address climate change while there is still time to make a difference.
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Be a climate voter
Letters to the editor in The Parkersburg News and Sentinel by Eric Engle
Oct 17, 2020
Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action is a voluntary association on file with the WV Secretary of State’s Office and works on both sides of the Ohio River to organize, mobilize, educate on and build coalitions around addressing anthropogenic (human-caused) global climate change. We have been around for 5 years this month and are busier than ever! Our current major focus is encouraging the people of West Virginia and Ohio and the surrounding region to be climate voters.
We have over 400 yard signs out in several counties, but predominately Wood and Washington, that say on one side “Climate Voter Make America Green Again” and on the other side “Protect What’s Ours Be A Climate Voter.” We are well on our way to having 500 of these signs out! We also have 6 different billboards in Parkersburg, Vienna and Marietta sending messages like “The future will be green or not at all” and “Don’t deny our future! Be A Climate Voter,” with a picture featuring 7 young and prominent climate activists globally. In addition, we’re running about a 15 second radio ad with a climate poetry reading from two of our members the entire month of October, and we have run TV and radio Public Service Announcements from a contest we did with local colleges where the students created the PSAs and we offered cash prizes and paid to run them on television.
We’re in the process of sending out climate voter postcards that send this same message to everyone we can think of in our social circles, families and among our membership and their social circles and families. We can frequently be found on the editorial pages of the Parkersburg News and Sentinel and Marietta Times and we have a strong social media presence on Facebook and Instagram, a YouTube Channel, a website (movclimateaction.org), and have more social media coming (Twitter, Snapchat and TikTok).
Prior to the devastating pandemic, we had a very successful climate education program in both public and private schools reaching middle and high school science classrooms with a nonpartisan program that conformed to state science education standards with the full knowledge and approval of Superintendents’ Offices, administrations and science teachers, who were always present during presentations. We reached approximately 4,000 to 5,000 students and hope to continue this work when it is once again safe to do so.
We ask that you vote for candidates at all levels of government who will take the climate crisis we’re living in seriously and act meaningfully to address it with public policy. Together, we can address this crisis, but much of the work starts with governments, wealth and asset owners and managers, investors, insurers, bankers and financiers and others in both the public and private sectors who can alter our trajectory globally. For ourselves, our children, grandchildren and the rest of posterity, and for countless other species of flora and fauna with which we have evolved on this incredible planet, be a climate voter!
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Green Sanctuary Committee proposes pollinator garden
Local News Oct 9, 2020 in The Marietta Times by Janelle Patterson
Approximately 250 feet of Muskingum River frontage on the western bank is the proposed home of a pollinator planting garden and solar charging bench. (Graphic illustration by Janelle Patterson)
Bees may buzz in the breeze next year on the western bank of the Muskingum River, if a proposed pollinator planting is approved by Marietta officials.
On Wednesday, Rebecca Phillips, representing the Green Sanctuary Committee of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Marietta, spoke before members of the Lands, Buildings and Parks Committee of Marietta City Council.
She described an opportunity for partnership, to reintroduce native flowering plants to a portion of the western bank of the Muskingum River between the west side boat launch and the Gilman United Methodist Church.
“There’ll be mostly pink and purple in the spring, then a lot of purple, some orange and some white in the summer and it would add so much color to that side of the river,” she described from the eastern bank Wednesday following the formal proposal to council.
Phillips explained that the funds to be used in the proposed garden are from a $7,500 grant awarded by DuPont’s “Clear into the Future” program to promote sustainability in Marietta.
The proposal also includes permission to install a solar charging bench on the city-owned riverbank adjacent to the 500 block of Front Street.
“That seemed like a good space to start the concept of native plantings on our river bank,” she said. “This would really be looking at the slope coming down and then up to the trail.”
While members of the LBP committee praised the proposal’s creativity, one councilmember also pointed to the labor strain such an experiment could solve on the limited staff-to-parkland ratio the city faces.
Councilman Geoff Schenkel said Phillips underplayed the significance the selected area could provide relief for in an already strapped public facilities labor force.
“And this really introduces a different type of flowering plant in an area that already has flowering plants,” he added.
Phillips also explained that the grant funds include hiring a master naturalist or master gardener to design the plantings so that native species with limited need for upkeep over time could be used in the bank.
The proposed area extends approximately 250 by 30 feet, from a mature tree near the old lock master’s house in front of the Gilman United Methodist Church facing the river, to the city launch ramp sign.
What’s next
City Law Director Paul Bertram and Phillips are to determine the extent of city ownership of the green space under discussion before legislation is proposed before council to propose a use agreement.
(Note Rebecca and many members of the Green Sanctuary Committee are members of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.)
Posted: October 17, 2020 by main_y0ke11
MOVCA Recommends WV3C October 22 Webinar
“Generational Perspectives and the Climate Crisis”
PARKERSBURG, West Virginia – Since large in-person gatherings indoors are not advisable during this time of COVID-19, Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action’s usual Third Thursday programs have been suspended until public programs are safe for presenters and attendees. But MOVCA is pleased to announce an upcoming opportunity for taking climate action that doesn’t require meeting together in person.
This month, MOVCA is encouraging members and others interested in climate justice to participate in a free, live webinar hosted on Zoom by West Virginia Center on Climate Change (WV3C) from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 22: “What Do We Tell the Kids – And What Are They Telling Us? – Generational Perspectives and the Climate Crisis.”
“For some time, MOVCA has used ‘Save the Grandchildren’ as our motto,” said Adeline Bailey, a member of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action. “We know that what we do today – and what we don’t do – will have a far greater effect on the generations that follow us than on us. This webinar is right in line with our efforts to promote awareness of the climate crisis and educate ourselves and our neighbors about taking action now.”
Event organizers ask the following: “For climate generations — all over the world — what strategies support hope and positive action? How can understanding generational perspectives lead to better climate solutions?
Addressing these timely and important questions is the goal of the October 22, 2020 “Climate Generations” webinar. Please join us to learn from expert presentations, and to share comments and questions with the presenters.”
Expert presenters for the webinar:
Author Dana R. Fisher, Ph.D., a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Director of the Program for Society and the Environment at the University of Maryland. Her research explores democracy, civic participation, activism, and environmental policymaking,with recent studies focusing on the youth climate movement and the American Resistance. Her sixth book is American Resistance: from the Women’s March to the Blue Wave (Columbia University Press 2019).
Danielle Lawson, Ph.D. , assistant professor of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management and Science Education at Penn State University. Her interests include environmental education, intergenerational learning, and social justice. Her ground-breaking study, “Children can foster climate change concern among parents,” was recently published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
Discussion Leader for the webinar is Sarah Cross, Campaigns Coordinator for the West Virginia Rivers Coalition. Sarah earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana, an M.S. in Agriculture from West Virginia University, and a Ph.D. in Education from Ohio University, where she researched the use of socio-scientific issues to promote scientific literacy.
This webinar is organized by the West Virginia Center on Climate Change (AV3C), a project of Friends of Blackwater, in partnership with the West Virginia Rivers Coalition and the WV Citizen Action Education Fund, with support from the Appalachian Stewardship Foundation. For more information, or to register, go to https://wvclimate.org/climate-generations-webinar/
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Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action focuses on raising awareness of the solid science establishing the danger of the climate crisis and the urgency of dealing with it. MOVCA supports the efforts of 350.org, and Citizens’ Climate Lobby, and is a Science Booster Club for the National Center for Science Education. The not-for-profit volunteer group also collaborates with other environmental groups on campaigns and events in the Mid-Ohio Valley. For more information, visit the organization’s web page (https://main.movclimateaction.org).
Last Updated: October 17, 2020 by main_y0ke11
A Shoe Strike for Climate Justice!
Announcing: A Shoe Strike for Climate Justice!
WHAT: Shoe Strike is a COVID-proof protest with shoes & protest signs
WHEN: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday, October 17, 2020
WHERE: Eagle Park (Corner of Grand Central & 30th, Vienna, WV)
WHO: you and everyone you know
Bring your shoes and protest signs for Climate Justice to Eagle Park in Vienna, WV at 8:00 a.m.
Why a Shoe Strike?
Changing conditions from drought to floods to wildfires to massive hurricanes are leading to millions of climate refugees all over the world. Twenty-four million people were displaced by climate disasters in 2019, and the World Bank projects that climate change will displace 143 million people per year by 2050, unless we do something about it right now.
While the USA is among the biggest polluters causing greenhouse gas emissions, we seem to be unable to take responsibility for the consequences of our actions. Across the world and in the US, it is people of color who are being most negatively affected by climate change.
Since we cannot gather safely in large numbers due to the pandemic, Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action has been holding Shoe Strikes for Climate Justice over the past several months. Shoe Strikes are modeled on the Sko Strejk movement that started in Sweden and is now spreading to other parts of the World. Local people donated their shoes and protest signs for this and previous Shoe Strikes to represent themselves and those who would gather to speak out about climate justice, but cannot because of COVID-19. More than 400 pairs of donated shoes have stood in for climate justice seekers at MOVCA-sponsored strikes in Parkersburg, Williamstown, and Marietta. The Vienna Shoe Strike will take place from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 17th at Eagle Park in Vienna (corner of Grand Central and 30th). When the Shoe Strikes conclude, the donated shoes will go to Cobbler John (Marietta, OH), to be part of an international humanitarian effort.
The Shoe Strikes sponsored by Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action are in coordination with Fridays for Future and other Shoe Strikes for Climate Justice! in the U.S.
For more information, go to FridaysforFuture.org.
Additional Information
With an ongoing tragic corona pandemic and economies in free fall, our federal decision makers are busy today. But strong leadership is also about being able to look beyond the chaotic present and act now to address a far greater challenge: the climate crisis.
While many US cities are implementing strong climate action and adaptation plans, our federal government has backed out of our country’s commitments to the international Paris Climate Accord.
In the Paris Agreement, 194 countries agreed that the average temperature increase should be limited to well below 2 degrees with the aim of limiting it to 1.5 degrees. Despite this, greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase. Since the industrial revolution, we have already raised the average temperature by 1.2 degrees.
The warming means not just elevated sea levels, but also dehydrated agricultural land and greater evaporation of our precious water. Clearly these outcomes are unsustainable. Water availability and food production are projected to drop even further in Central America, and corn production is shifting northward into Canada.
There are plenty of things that individuals do to reduce their carbon footprints. Our state and federal representatives need to take the bigger steps towards a sustainable and secure society.
At the end of 2019 the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced that they will stop making loans for projects involving fossil fuels. The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and other major global financial institutions are now considering whether to follow the EIB’s example.
Perhaps our cities should build a more sustainable future by divesting from fossil fuels, before their value plummets. Perhaps our government leadership should build a more sustainable future for us all, by investing in the coming technologies of wind and solar power.
Source: FridaysforFuture.org
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
How will we pay for it?
Sep 10, 2020 in The Marietta Times by Aaron Dunbar
This question serves as something of a de facto catchphrase in American politics, if a decidedly lopsided one.
Want healthcare for all Americans? How will we pay for it?
Free college? How will we pay for it?
Keep citizens alive during a global pandemic? How will we pay for it?
Fund endless wars with a military budget larger than the next twelve countries combined? No problem! Here’s a trillion-and-a-half dollars every two years, go knock yourself out!
But if there’s one issue we absolutely do not want to spend money on, it’s climate change. And look, to a certain degree I get it. Climate change is a giant, slow-moving issue (relative to our perceptions), where the average person has no way of directly correlating their individual, daily actions with the endlessly complicated effects of our industry on the planet. And conservatives in particular have
a knack for cranking up the price tag of action on climate to make it appear prohibitively expensive, with President Trump once baselessly claiming that the Green New Deal being proposed by some Democrats would cost us up to $100 trillion.
That said, there’s admittedly no doubt that addressing this crisis will take a genuine level of sacrifice and commitment in economic terms.
But let’s be entirely clear here: the choice isn’t whether we will decide to pay for climate change. It is literally HOW are we eventually going to pay?
We are, in fact, already paying for our decades-long failure to rein in our emissions, and the price tag will only grow steeper as we continue to delay action.
As I write these words, the U.S. Gulf Coast is being battered by a 150-mph hurricane, having jumped from a Category 1 to a Category 4 storm in a single day – a direct effect of warming oceans, according to scientists, along with the landfall of two separate hurricanes within hours of one another from the Atlantic, an event which may be entirely without precedent. All of this comes even as other parts of the country experience out-of-control wildfires almost certainly fueled by climate change, with temperatures in Death Valley reaching 129.9 degrees Fahrenheit- probably the hottest temperature ever recorded on our planet.
Make no mistake about it, we are absolutely paying for climate change.
The human cost alone, and the possibility of making the planet uninhabitable for our children, should be more than enough to motivate us. But as the only language we speak seems to be that of dollar signs, think of it this way: we can either start making serious changes now or later, when the cost of fixing what we’ve broken, if it can be fixed at all, will be trillions upon trillions of dollars higher than it already is today.
And on that note, for anyone with the means wishing to contribute to those affected by these most recent disasters, I highly recommend looking into any of the following organizations: The American Red Cross, United Way of Northern California, The California Fire Foundation, The Cajun Navy, The Houston Food Bank, and Austin Disaster Relief. Thank you.
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