I’m sure many people have been sharing the growing uneasiness I have felt this year as one extreme weather disaster after another pounded the U.S. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Marie were each in their own way unprecedented: bigger, longer, slower so that their intensity broke once-in-25,000-year records. I was shocked to see recent pictures of streets in Miami on a clear day with several inches of water covering them, result of a normal high tide. Can you imagine having to accept the Ohio River running in the streets of Parkersburg once or twice a week?
Americans don’t know much about what’s happening in the rest of the world, but events of the past year are too much to take in. Catastrophic flooding occurred in Guatemala, Columbia, Peru, India, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Thailand, Malaysia, China, and Bangladesh. The unprecedented fires in California reflect years of drought, but there were also unprecedented wildfires in Croatia, France, Italy, Portugal, and Chile.
Heat waves kill more people than floods. It was 106 degrees in San Francisco Sept. 1 this year. Records were broken worldwide: Athens, Greece was 111, Australia 117, Turkey 113, Kuwait 124, India 123, Baghdad 124. In July it reached 129 in Basra, Iraq and Turbat, Pakistan. The heat index in Iraq was 165 degrees! We can dismiss occasional extreme weather events as “just the weather,” but these are patterns that look to be a new normal that mean masses of people are going to have to migrate just to survive.
In times like this we need to look to leaders who want to ensure our children and grandchildren have a livable planet. Just last week, the National Climate Assessment, which was mandated by Congress back in 1990 to be issued every four years, produced 2,000 pages of documentation and stated “there is no convincing alternative explanation” for the warming of our planet than human caused greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite this grim picture, I have been encouraged by actions around the world that show that we can change the future. I learned about them from the work of Al Gore and the Climate Leadership Corps he founded. I have personally been inspired to take action and I think you will, too, if you learn more about it. Join us Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at WVU-P Theater for a showing of “An Inconvenient Sequel” a film that details what Gore and many others around the world are doing to give our children a livable future. It’s a small investment of your time to become educated about the most important issue facing our nation and our world today.
Jean Ambrose
Walker
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Lets Move Forward
Dec. 3 2017 Letters-to-the-Editor by Judith Peascoe, Vienna, WV
The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
At the time the implementation of the Clean Power Plan is being debated and comments are being taken in Charleston, W.Va., regulators are debating the purchase of the Pleasants County coal-fired power plant.
In his News and Sentinel Letter to the Editor on Sept. 10, Jody Murphy, Executive Director of the Pleasants Area Chamber of Commerce, expresses his willingness to subsidize the purchase and operation of the Pleasants County power plant financially by paying an extra $5 a month to preserve the power-plant jobs.
Unfortunately, the plant’s technology is obsolete. It does not have the latest technology to prevent pollutants from spewing into the air–pollutants which cause susceptible people, especially children, to have asthma attacks. It produces waste contaminated with heavy metals that may not be properly and permanently contained.
Governor Justice has acknowledged that coal-fired plants are not competitive economically by asking for a federal subsidy for power plants purchasing coal. In addition, the West Virginia legislature and the federal government have weakened the Clean Water Acts to allow more toxic waste to be discharged into water flows. This is an open acknowledgment that coal-fired power plants should be phased out. In addition the Mid-Ohio Valley is noted for its health-damaging air quality.
Difficult times require novel solutions. My husband grew up in Los Angelos. Thirty-five years ago, California was faced with limited water supplies, horrible air quality and the need for more power. Rather than build new power plants the utilities and the state offered consumers inducements to conserve energy. The reduction in energy use meant that the utilities didn’t have to build new power plants. California is actively supporting renewable energy installations such as roof-top solar installations, wind farms, and solar farms, biomass, and hydro. This work provided jobs. Pollution was reduced. The air became cleaner. Recent reports tell us that solar and wind technology is now competitive in price with nuclear and coal power plants.
I would rather pay that extra five dollars on my utility bill to subsidize a plan of energy conservation, job retraining, reduced pollution and renewable energy generation than to subsidize an obsolete coal fired plant that First Energy wants to get rid of. That plant is no bargain for West Virginians.
Judith Peascoe
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Clean Power Plan
Letter from Don Lowe in Sun. 19 Nov. N&S:
Speak out on Clean Power Plan
19 Nov 2017 — The Parkersburg News And Sentinel
On Nov. 28 and 29, the U.S. EPA will hold a public hearing in Charleston for input regarding Trump’s repeal of the Clean Power Plan to fulfill his misguided, stupid, and harmful campaign promise to encourage coal fired power plants. This is the only public hearing the EPA will hold – and right in the heart of coal country! What does that tell you? They are expecting overwhelming, albeit selfishly motivated, public support for their potentially disastrous plan. Apparently one Texas, Gulf Coast, and Puerto Rican disaster and expense hasn’t been enough. Remember, these are your tax dollars.
While some may think it admirable that the EPA is showing concern for miners welfare, they (miners) only constitute about 2 percent of West Virginia’s population. What about the welfare of the other 98 percent, and the rest of the planet? Public participation is vitally important to hopefully overwhelm the coal company’s lobbyists that will surely be there. To speak at the hearing you must pre-register by calling 1-888-627-7764. Show the EPA that your grandchildren’s welfare trumps lining the pockets of a few coal company executives.
Don Lowe
Vienna
“Speak out on Clean Power Plan” The Parkersburg News And Sentinel 19 Nov 2017: A5
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
I’m In
From Giulia Mannarino in Sun. 19 Nov. N&S:
Support Paris Agreement
19 Nov 2017 — The Parkersburg News And Sentinel
The U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Agreement will not stop the rest of the world from continuing to advance toward a clean energy future. The global community is negotiating how to achieve goals set in this historic document at the United Nations annual Conference of the Parties (“COP23”) taking place in Bonn, Germany. Since Syria recently decided to sign this accord, the U.S. is now the only country in the world not supporting it!
The current administration is denying the existence of this problem and is busy rolling back regulations, cutting budgets and weakening climate policies. (By the way, the only public hearing being held in the nation by the EPA regarding repeal of the Clean Power Plan is scheduled in Charleston, W.Va., on Nov. 28 and 29.) No other political party on the planet rejects the international scientific community’s consensus that global warming is both caused by humans and poses a profound threat to civilization.
A not-well-known fact is that the U.S. withdrawal won’t take effect until Nov. 4, 2020, which happens to be the day after our next presidential election. However, in the meantime, Donald Trump does not represent the will of the countless American people, including the majority of Americans in every state, who support the Paris Agreement and believe in climate action. There is something you can do to help protect our country’s involvement in this important pact that is meant to curb carbon pollution and avoid the worst impacts of climate change before it’s too late.
You can add your name as someone who supports the goals of the Paris Agreement by joining the “I Am Still In” movement at iamstillin.org/. U.S. states, cities, businesses, investors, universities, faith based groups and other entities across the country are collaborating to continue to work toward the goals of the agreement. They’re still in and you can be too. Tell our leaders and the 194 countries committed to the Paris Agreement that you personally support the Paris Agreement. Stand with people everywhere in the fight against climate change and commit to creating a clean, just energy future together despite the U.S. political climate.
Also, everyone is welcome to help build our local volunteer climate movement by getting involved in Mid Ohio Valley Climate Action.
Giulia Mannarino
Belleville
“Support Paris Agreement” The Parkersburg News And Sentinel 19 Nov 2017: A5
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Change and Consequences
I’m sure many people have been sharing the growing uneasiness I have felt this year as one extreme weather disaster after another pounded the U.S. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Marie were each in their own way unprecedented: bigger, longer, slower so that their intensity broke once-in-25,000-year records. I was shocked to see recent pictures of streets in Miami on a clear day with several inches of water covering them, result of a normal high tide. Can you imagine having to accept the Ohio River running in the streets of Parkersburg once or twice a week?
Americans don’t know much about what’s happening in the rest of the world, but events of the past year are too much to take in. Catastrophic flooding occurred in Guatemala, Columbia, Peru, India, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Thailand, Malaysia, China, and Bangladesh. The unprecedented fires in California reflect years of drought, but there were also unprecedented wildfires in Croatia, France, Italy, Portugal, and Chile.
Heat waves kill more people than floods. It was 106 degrees in San Francisco Sept. 1 this year. Records were broken worldwide: Athens, Greece was 111, Australia 117, Turkey 113, Kuwait 124, India 123, Baghdad 124. In July it reached 129 in Basra, Iraq and Turbat, Pakistan. The heat index in Iraq was 165 degrees! We can dismiss occasional extreme weather events as “just the weather,” but these are patterns that look to be a new normal that mean masses of people are going to have to migrate just to survive.
In times like this we need to look to leaders who want to ensure our children and grandchildren have a livable planet. Just last week, the National Climate Assessment, which was mandated by Congress back in 1990 to be issued every four years, produced 2,000 pages of documentation and stated “there is no convincing alternative explanation” for the warming of our planet than human caused greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite this grim picture, I have been encouraged by actions around the world that show that we can change the future. I learned about them from the work of Al Gore and the Climate Leadership Corps he founded. I have personally been inspired to take action and I think you will, too, if you learn more about it. Join us Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at WVU-P Theater for a showing of “An Inconvenient Sequel” a film that details what Gore and many others around the world are doing to give our children a livable future. It’s a small investment of your time to become educated about the most important issue facing our nation and our world today.
Jean Ambrose
Walker
Last Updated: April 29, 2023 by main_y0ke11
Third Thursday public showing
*Thursday, January 18, 2018, 7-9 p.m.: MOVCA Public Outreach Third Thursday Program: “The Climate Reality Project and Al Gore’s Leadership Core Training” at First Christian Church. 1400 Washington Ave., Parkersburg. Presentation by Jean Ambrose and Giulia Mannarino, MOVCA Co-Vice Chairs and newly certified Climate Reality Leaders.
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