Women are at the forefront of collaborative efforts to support each other in the face of our changing climate. In many countries, women’s intimate knowledge of the land means they are quicker to spot environmental changes, to learn from them, and out of necessity, find ways to adapt. —Christiana Figueres
Our Climate Crisis
Recent research indicates that accelerated ice melt in west Antarctica is inevitable for the rest of the century. Even drastic emissions cuts in the coming decades will not slow the melting. If completely lost, the ice sheet would push up ocean levels by about 16 feet. The implications are “dire” and some coastal cities may have to be abandoned.
The world has sweltered through the hottest spell in human history this summer. A conservative tally estimates that extreme weather disasters took more than 18,000 lives, drove at least 150,000 people from their homes, affected hundreds of millions of others and caused billions of dollars of damage.
After our summer of record-breaking heat, things got even worse in September as global temperatures rose far above normal. The average temperature was 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit above the 1991-2020 average for September. That’s the warmest margin above average for a month in 83 years of record keeping.
The unexpected heavy rainfall and flash flooding in New York City at the end of September is an example of how small storm systems can become severe because of global warming. This followed similar downpours in July that created catastrophic flooding that struck parts of Vermont and the Hudson Valley.
Politics and Policy
Clean energy, data centers, and utility influence in Virginia is up for a vote in the off-year election this fall. If he can achieve a Republican majority in both houses of the General Assembly, Governor Youngkin aims to repeal previous clean energy legislation. Particularly in his crosshairs are the Virginia Clean Energy Act, participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and the Clean Cars law.
At their first Climate Action Conference on Sept. 30, Fairfax County officials said that residents are underutilizing publicly-funded incentives to make their homes more green. Greeting a crowd of community members County Supervisor James Walkinshaw said the focus of the conference was to give residents “all the actionable information and the tools you need to reduce your emissions and save money.”
The European Union has launched a huge climate experiment by imposing a Europe-wide tax on carbon in imported goods. It could have global ripple effects across the entire globe by pushing high-emitting industries to clean up their production. It could also incentivize other countries to launch their own carbon taxes on imported goods. In these respects it could end up being one of the most important climate policies.
As big businesses like Amazon, Microsoft, Walmart, and Apple ramp up efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, they’re putting pressure on their suppliers to do the same. Consumers, investors, regulators, and governments are pushing firms for more progress and transparency.
The US Department of Energy announced the largest-ever investment in America’s electrical grid. The $3.5 billion in grants will expand capacity for wind and solar power, harden power lines against extreme weather, integrate batteries and electric vehicles, and build out microgrids. This will represent more than $8 billion in investment when matched by funds from state and local governments and utility and industry partners.
The Biden administration has green-lighted a record low number of new offshore oil wells. Experts say this decline reflects economics and production strategy as much as shifts in federal oil policy. Many climate activists fault the White House for holding any oil sales, while drillers and GOP allies of the industry say that so few opportunities to buy new drilling rights is undermining national production.
Beliefs on the severity of climate change have not shifted significantly among religious groups in the United States. In fact, among white evangelicals the view that the Earth is in a climate crisis actually dropped from 13% in 2014 to 8% today.
Energy
The International Energy Agency predicts that global demand for oil, natural gas and coal will peak by 2030. Their executive director Fatih Birol says, “The transition to clean energy is happening worldwide and it’s unstoppable.” Even so, a peak in fossil fuel use won’t be enough to stop global warming.
New clean energy grid battery installations are growing exponentially in the U.S., especially in Texas and California. The energy they supply is still just a drop in the bucket of overall consumption but they can deliver quick bursts of power at key moments during times of high demand. Battles with grid electric supply are won or lost on the margins and the megawatts that batteries instantly contribute during moments of crisis can avert power outages.
Electricity production is the biggest source of carbon emissions in the world. Data from a clean-energy think-tank report shows that in the first half of this year, global power-sector emissions rose by just 0.2%, thanks largely to the embrace of wind and solar power. This indicates that the world is approaching a peak in electricity carbon emissions.
The Interior Department approved a plan to install up to 176 giant wind turbines off the coast of Virginia. This clears the way for what will be the nation’s largest offshore wind farm yet. The project to be built by Dominion Energy will produce enough clean electricity to power more than 900,000 homes.
After more than a year of evaluating competing proposals, the US Department of Energy has picked seven “clean hydrogen hubs” where it hopes to turn $7 billion dollars of federal investment into the seeds of a clean hydrogen economy. The industries expected to use the clean hydrogen range from chemicals, steel and fertilizer production to shipping, trucking and power generation.
Through its Rural Energy for America Program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded $266 million in funding to eight renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects in Virginia. Included was $115,880 awarded to Regeneration Cycle, LLC in Rockingham County for two solar systems for four organic poultry houses. The owner, Corwin Heatwole, said he always wanted to go solar and this project made it possible.
Climate Justice
In a new climate letter, Pope Francis takes direct aim at climate change deniers and castigates Western nations, particularly the United States, for irresponsible lifestyles causing irreparable harm to the planet. He criticizes oil and gas companies for greenwashing new fossil fuel projects and calls for more ambitious efforts in the West to tackle the climate crisis. He says that “avoiding an increase of a tenth of a degree in the global temperature would already suffice to alleviate some suffering for many people.”
The Mountain Valley Pipeline is now on a mad dash to the finish because of West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin’s insistence that Congress approve it to get his vote to raise the national debt ceiling. It stretches just over 300 miles from the northern border of West Virginia to southern Virginia. It traverses ecologically fragile terrain including hundreds of bodies of water and steep mountain slopes and has upended the lives of people who live in its path.
Electric bikes promise to make a significant contribution to driving down greenhouse gas emissions in transportation. The upfront cost, however, puts them out of reach for many people. That’s why cities and states across the United States are rolling out programs to make e-bikes more accessible to lower-income residents. E-bikes also offer other benefits including more mobility than public transit and at a much lower cost than a car.
Climate Action
The Harrisonburg City Council voted to add a set of community engagement goals to the city’s Environmental Action Plan. People who live and work in Harrisonburg will be enlisted to help reduce carbon emissions through efforts like reducing car travel and planting trees. Keith Thomas, the sustainability and environmental manager for the city’s Public Works Department, said, “Total emissions are what matter at the end of the day, so that’s what we’re focusing on.”
Agrivoltaics—on-farm solar arrays combined with grazing or other forms of agriculture—is still rare in California. They could, however, be a game-changer in a state with lots of sunshine where many farmers are struggling to plan for a future with limited groundwater. It could be vital to preserving food production as many farmers face pressure to retire parts of their land to comply with water conservation regulations.
Virginia Tech has been awarded an $80 million grant from the US Department of Agriculture to participate in a climate-smart farming program. The pilot program will pay farmers to voluntarily implement climate-smart practices that help reduce greenhouse gases. The university says that if the program can be scaled up nationally, it could help reduce agricultural emissions by 55% — and reduce total emissions in the U.S. by 8%, after 10 years.
A startup business in Northern Virgina called “LambMowers” is a fun and ecologically innovative approach to how we care for our lawns. The owner, Cory Suter, who grew up here in the Valley, began his flock of sheep as part of his 5 acre permaculture farm in Fairfax. He then came up with the idea of making his sheep available to mow his neighbors’ lawns. Turf grass, including residential and commercial lawns, golf courses and similar landscapes, is by far the largest cultivated crop in the United States, three times bigger than corn.
An often overlooked climate solution is a compact 15 minute city where we can access key things in our lives—work, food, schools and recreation—within a short walk, bike, or transit ride of our home. This concept is catching on in urban planning even though it is running up against existing zoning restrictions and even recently hatched conspiracy theories.
Scientists from the University of Virginia, doing research on the Eastern Shore, have discovered that seagrass beds can permanently lock in carbon. They capture and retain carbon for centuries even in situations where the seagrass dies off. This means that seagrass conservation and restoration can be a significant climate change solution.
Rachel Brown, a retired quilt store owner, recently had a solar array installed on her Augusta County home free of charge through the Income and Age Qualifying Solar program of Dominion Energy. When she first heard about the program, she thought it was too good to be true but her trusted nephew Everett Brubaker, who works for Community Housing Partners, convinced her it was legitimate. Her house was first given a free energy efficiency makeover—as her nephew explained—solar “dessert” follows weatherization “vegetables.”
Fallen leaves are a really important wildlife habitat. So why not be lazy this fall. You will want to remove most of the leaves from your grass but you can place some of them in certain places and put others in your compost bin. Allow a little chaos in parts of your garden. That’s really beneficial for the soil, the animals, and the insects that need to share these landscapes with us.
Action Alert
You are invited to participate in a tree planting event at Harrisonburg Mennonite Church on November 11. We will start with coffee and pastries at 8:00 a.m. in the church fellowship hall. We need to have a count of those who plan to attend beforehand so we can estimate the amount of food and coffee required. If you are interested, please email Steve Pardini: pardini.steve [at] hotmail.com
This is the second phase of a four-phase project to plant 250 trees. The goals of this project are: 1.) To beautify the HMC campus, 2.) Create a spiritual and natural place for meditation, fellowship, and recreation, 3.) Steward the land, sequester carbon, mitigate water runoff, and reduce summer heat.
Earl Zimmerman
CAAV Steering Committee
Climate Action Alliance of the Valley 