FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2012
CONTACT:
Jamie Nolan, jamie@chesapeakeclimate.org, 240-396-2022
Beth Kemler, beth@chesapeakeclimate.org, 804-335-0915
Virginians “Connect the Dots” Between Climate Change & Extreme Weather
Activists call-out coal plants and winegrowers highlight weather impacts on crops as part of 20 events around the state illustrating the rising impacts of climate change in Virginia
RICHMOND – Virginians at 20 sites across the commonwealth today held “climate dots” and posed for photos to connect the dots between local effects of climate change and local sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Photos included a former U.S. Navy Captain in front of the USS Wisconsin, highlighting the national security implications of climate change, several Virginia winegrowers on their farms that have suffered from the impacts of extreme weather, and Virginia Beach citizens with the iconic Neptune statue, showing that Neptune might really be underwater by year 2100 due to rising seas.
The events are part of the first-ever Climate Impacts Day, a global event sponsored by 350.org and its allies that is designed to “connect the dots” between climate impacts, such as extreme weather events, and the broader climate change crisis. At nearly 1,000 events in more than 100 countries, people highlighted how climate change is affecting their lives here and now.
Dr. Carol Spengler, President of Athena Vineyards in Heathsville, has experienced the effects of extreme weather on her business. “In 2003 and again in 2011, hurricanes struck Virginia and caused enormous damage to our grapes and to the crop of many of Virginia’s vineyards,” she explained. “Climate variations – even small ones – have major impacts on grape and wine quality.”
Several of the Virginia events for Climate Impacts Day highlighted Dominion Virginia Power’s role as the state’s largest emitter of global warming pollution, less than a week in advance of the company’s annual shareholder meeting. The company has no plan to significantly shift its fossil fuel-heavy portfolio to make new investments in renewable energy sources, according to its 15-year plan.
“Dominion has the opportunity to generate clean energy with wind and solar power while generating profits,” said Beth Kemler, Virginia State Director for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Instead, the company keeps building more and more fossil fuel-burning power plants.”
Dominion continues to bury its head in the sand when it comes to climate change. On its April 26th quarterly earnings call, the company boasted about strong earnings “despite the effects of the warmest first quarter weather in more than 100 years.” The March 2012 U.S. heat wave broke more than 15,000 temperature records, and Americans are beginning to connect the dots between these warmer temperatures and extreme weather.
A recent poll by George Mason University and Yale University found that Americans’ concern about climate change was increasing with more extreme weather and warmer temperatures. According to the research, 82 percent of Americans report that they personally experienced one or more types of extreme weather or a natural disaster in the past year.
350.org was the primary organizer of Climate Impacts Day events across the globe. May Boeve, executive director of 350.org, said: “Because the globe is a big place, sometimes it’s hard for people to see how the drought affecting their city is driven by the same force as the flooding somewhere else. That’s why we need to connect the dots between climate change and extreme weather.”
In 2011, the United States saw 12 weather disasters that each caused one billion dollars or more in damage. Around the world, extreme flooding submerged nearly all of Bangkok, drought continued to ravage the Horn of Africa, and typhoons and hurricanes hit vulnerable communities in places like the Philippines.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: To see a map of the 20 Virginia Climate Impacts Day events, visit http://g.co/maps/qd278. For more information about Climate Impacts Day events across the globe, visit www.climatedots.org. For more information about Virginia-based events, contact Beth Kemler at beth@chesapeakeclimate.org“>beth@chesapeakeclimate.org or 804-335-0915.
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