When you look at it short range, the failure to pass the disaster relief bill South Georgia farmers have been told was on the way is just another maddening example of Congress’s inability to do anything useful anymore. Looked at from a larger perspective, it is uncomfortably consistent with the direction the country is taking on climate change.
That thud heard across the country was response to a landmark report from the United Nations that shows human society is at risk as 1 million plant and animal species are on the brink of extinction.
By Guest Columnist ALEX MACGREGOR, an Atlanta-based transportation consultant
With each passing year, the harmful effects of global climate change are becoming clearer, and the damage is mounting.
So far, Georgia has been spared most of the headline-grabbing disasters related to climate change, like California’s Camp wildfire that killed 86 people, or Hurricane Maria’s devastating toll on Puerto Rico.
But the damage to Georgia is current, and the costs are already high.
By Guest Columnists MARK REYNOLDS and FLANNERY WINCHESTER, executive director and communications coordinator, respectively, of Citizens’ Climate Lobby
Congress has found a simple, fair and effective solution to get climate change in check. On Nov. 27, a bipartisan group of five representatives introduced the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. An additional Republican co-sponsor has since joined the bill. This bipartisan bill in the House of Representatives will put a price on carbon emissions and return the revenue equally to people.
The federal assessment of climate change released by 13 federal agencies the day after Thanksgiving bears more than passing resemblance to an environmental report Georgia issued in 2015. The federal report also makes several references to Atlanta and Georgia.
By Guest Columnist KAREN GRAINEY, assistant director of Center for a Sustainable Coast
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a monumental report on Oct. 8, warning that humanity has only 12 years to make the “rapid and far-reaching” reforms needed to prevent the worst effects of climate change. These reforms entail drastic reductions in the primary cause of global warming – greenhouse gas emissions.
Hurricane Florence marked two notable milestones regarding hurricanes that hit the United States – Muslim organizations continue to provide significant relief aid, and climate change is now part of the conversation over the intensification of hurricanes.
A majority of metro Atlanta residents think global warning is happening, is caused by human activities and is affecting the weather. A majority thinks global warming will harm future generations, according to a new survey by an affiliate of Yale University.
The most dominant national headlines in recent weeks have highlighted a fundamental principle that’s often overlooked but cannot be overstated: Science matters. From predicting dangerous tropical storms to charting the path of an eclipse or utterly discrediting the claims of hate-filled racists, science may ultimately help to save us, if only from ourselves.
The ascension of France on the global stage was exemplified on July 14 – Bastille Day – when Frenchman Warren Barguil gave France its first Bastille Day Tour de France victory in 12 years.
But an even more significant sign was when U.S. President Donald Trump accepted an invitation from the recently-elected President of France – Emmanuel Macron – to spend Bastille Day in Paris.
By Guest Columnist SUSAN VARLAMOFF, coauthor of the ‘Laudato Si Action Plan’ and author of ‘Sustainable Gardening for the Southeast’
Nature abhors a vacuum. With the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris climate accord, there is a void in global leadership on climate change that others are willing and able to fill it. Countries like China, Germany and France are stepping up. In the U.S., states, cities, universities, corporations, and even churches are voluntarily reducing greenhouse emissions in the spirit of the Paris climate accord.
Atlanta’s significant role as a center for global health is now well-recognized and appreciated.
But last week, when the Atlanta-based Carter Center hosted the Climate & Health Meeting, it became apparent that our region’s contributions to improving global health must now take into account the growing challenges of climate change.
And Atlanta has an opportunity to become a nexus for expert knowledge and action to address how climate change will impact global health.
Georgia’s updated 10-year wildlife plan, which says global warming threatens plants and animals, has been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
A panel of Georgia Tech professors and a French diplomat expressed support for the climate accord reached in Paris last year. Some noted the devil of implementing it will be in the details.
On Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s second day in Paris to attend the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, his press office released a statement Friday outlining his schedule of events and to talk up sustainability efforts taken during his administration.
Atlanta is poised to adopt a comprehensive plan intended to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and forestall climate change, much like sustainability initiatives at Emory University and Spelman College that have resulted in their ranking among the greenest campuses in the country.
It’s going to rain, and we’re not just talking about the next couple of days. The news won’t come as much consolation to Georgia farmers struggling through a multi-year drought, but according to the most sophisticated climate model ever attempted for the eastern United States, their problem 44 years from now won’t be lack of rain, but torrential storms and flooding.
And it will be hot, but it may seem hotter in some places than it does in others.
We can begin speculating about such things because of the unprecedented degree of detail in a study conducted by researchers at the University of Tennessee, Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, published in the Nov. 6 edition of Environmental Research Letters.
Planned charging stations for e-scooters, e-bikes could ease tension over their useJune 14, 2019 - 9:03 pm
Gwinnett County firm stiffs workers OT pay in case resolved by federal Labor Dept.June 12, 2019 - 11:50 pm
Fulton County’s new sustainability plan sets climate change mitigation as No. 1 goalJune 10, 2019 - 6:48 pm
