Global Warming in North Carolina
Global warming and the Outer Banks - 01/03/2007
Anyone who's been lucky enough to visit North Carolina's Outer Banks knows what an extraordinary place they are. A delicate necklace of barrier islands adorning the coastline, they provide a resting place for migratory birds, livelihood for fishermen and a getaway for a growing number of beach lovers.
But unless North Carolinians take action soon to curb global warming pollution, we face the possibility of having these gems stolen from us by seas that scientists warn could rise as much as 43 inches by 2100.
The natural riches we stand to lose from a warming planet are documented in a new short film being distributed by the nonprofit Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. Titled Treasured Places: The Outer Banks in Peril, the eight-minute movie details the risks of inaction on global warming.
"Instead of just burying people with a lot of factual information, we wanted to give them a sense of emotional connectedness to these places so they understand what's at stake," says SACE Executive Director Stephen Smith.
With Schlesinger, Smith is also a member of the N.C. Global Warming Commission. Created by the legislature in 2005, the group expects to release an interim report by February. Smith hopes Treasured Places will encourage citizens to pay attention to the commission's work and to urge their elected officials to heed its advice on curbing greenhouse gas pollution.
Global warming proposals would gut N.C. economy - 04/21/08
North Carolina would lose more than 33,000 jobs and face a $4.5 billion hit to its Gross State Product by 2011, if lawmakers adopt just a fraction of the policies under consideration now to address climate change. A Boston-based economist who has analyzed the policy proposals will deliver that message Tuesday to a legislative study group.
The policies studied also would cost the state more than $502 million in investment, lower real disposable income by $2.2 billion, and reduce state and local revenue by more than $184 million, said David Tuerck, chairman of the Suffolk University Department of Economics and executive director of the department's research arm, the Beacon Hill Institute. Tuerck is scheduled to testify to the N.C. Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change during its meeting 11 a.m. Tuesday in Raleigh.
The climate commission is considering 56 policy proposals developed by the Climate Action Plan Advisory Group. The proposals aim to limit global warming by cutting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Supporters contend those policy proposals would help North Carolina's economy.
Rigorous testing using standard economic analysis yielded far more pessimistic results than those used to support the policies, Tuerck said in an interview. "There's an attempt to put a happy face on this legislation that's going forward," he said. "And the attempt is made by trying to show that implementing this legislation would create jobs and would expand economic activity in the state, rather than contract it.
"You can't create jobs that are good jobs - that are adding to the state economy - by shifting workers from more productive to less productive activities," he added. "You can't create good jobs, the kind of jobs you want to create, by increasing energy costs, by increasing the price of electricity, by imposing what amount to new taxes. This is not the way to create jobs."
N.C. Drought Spreads to 55 Counties Gov. Calls for Collaboration - 10/09/07
Federal drought maps show that exceptional drought has spread from North Carolina's eight westernmost counties to 55 counties in the mountains and Piedmont and now stretches from the foothills and Charlotte to parts of the Triad, the Triangle and the Sandhills.
North Carolina's other 45 counties are experiencing the next three levels of drought - extreme, severe and moderate. An extreme lack of rainfall has left many stream flows faced with all-time record lows and reservoirs far below average for this time of year.
Gov. Mike Easley directed the state divisions of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance, Water Resources and Environmental Health to partner with the N.C. League of Municipalities to organize regional meetings in communities hardest hit by the drought to discuss water conservation and strategies for identifying supplemental water sources.
"Many communities are suffering the effects of one of the worst droughts we have ever seen," Easley said. "At least one community is already hauling water by truck from other sources and several other towns may need to seek supplemental water sources soon.
The governor has called on all North Carolina residents to conserve water and for operators of public water supplies to implement water use restrictions. Many communities are reporting significant declines in water usage, thanks to the governor's directive. Currently, 83 public water systems have enacted mandatory water use restrictions and another 80 have enacted voluntary restrictions.
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