The Governor’s Commission on Climate Change dug into some meaty material yesterday, exploring what would happen to Virginia if commonly accepted scenarios for rising temperatures and sea levels pan out. Bill Geroux with the Times-Dispatch hits the highlights of the meeting, held in Williamsburg, but lacked either the time or news hole to recount much of the rich detail in the presentations. (Incredibly, it appears that neither the Daily Press nor the Virginian-Pilot covered the meeting in their own back yard — if they did, I can’t find their stories online.)
I will try to explore a couple of topics in more depth in later posts, based on the presentations found on the Governor’s Commission on Climate Change website. But don’t just accept my spin on the story. Peruse the documents yourself.
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Predicted Impacts of Climate Change on Coastal Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay: Physical, Geological and Biogeochemical Processes (PDF), James E. Bauer, Ph.D., Professor of Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
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Ecosystems and Living Resources (PDF), J. Emmett Duffy, Ph.D., Loretta and Lewis Glucksman Professor of Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
- Predicted Climate Change Impacts to Agriculture, Forests and Wildlife Habitat Impacts on Natural Systems (PDF), Herman H. Shugart, W.W. Corcoran Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
- Update on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goal (PDF), Thomas R. Ballou, Department of Environmental Quality / Steve Walz, Senior Advisor to the Governor on Energy Policy
- Climate Change: The Automotive Perspective (PDF), Michael J. Stanton, President & CEO, Association of International Automobile Manufacturers
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Voluntary actions undertaken by industry and incentives for such action (PDF), Paul Loeffelman, Director, Environmental Public Policy, American Electric Power
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Dominion: Climate Change Perspective (PDF), Pam Faggert, Vice President and Chief Environmental Officer
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Climate Change and Human Health (PDF), Kristie L. Ebi, Ph.D., M.P.H.; ESS, LLC
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Impacts on Fisheries and Wildlife (PDF), Doug Inkley, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, National Wildlife Federation
For those interested in the impact of climate change on Virginia, I would particularly recommend the first three presentations (with highlighted links).
Reader alert: I reiterate my skepticism regarding the more hysterical, worst-case scenarios of global warming. The science of climate change still has many unknowns, and there is a livelier debate and more uncertainty within the scientific community than portrayed by the major media outlets. However, I do not subscribe to the Rush Limbaugh, global-warming-is- a-liberal-fraud worldview. Sufficient scientific evidence has accumulated to suggest that there is a significant risk of higher temperatures and rising sea levels. Given the potential magnitude of the consequences, as long as a risk exists, it is incumbent upon policy makers to evaluate that risk and appraise the potential impact on Virginia.