Climate Emergency
Dear Editor: Thanks to Kevin Knox, Steve Eisenbeisz, and Thor Christianson for joining the 17 elected members of the Sitka Fish and Game Advisory Committee who unanimously declared a Climate Emergency last November. These three Assembly leaders extended the discussion by calling for a mobilization effort to adapt to a changing climate. Note that they did not call for reversing global warming and they didn’t call for any dramatic action, only reasonable efforts to move Sitka in a positive, constructive direction as a community.
Climate change concerns are not new. In 1899 Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin developed at length the idea that changes in climate could result from changes in the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Other scientists had observed a relationship between industrial carbon production and climate before that. These connections have solid scientific foundations.
The Assembly and City staff need not be alone in working on this. Numerous volunteers in Sitka have been working on it for years. We can help. Sitka has had a Climate Action Plan since about 2010. Why is it so hard for us to take further action and steps to prepare for currently observable changes that will only worsen, even if collectively the world keeps global temperatures from rising to 1.5-2 degrees Centigrade above pre-industrial levels? We are already 1 degree above pre-industrial levels because of greenhouse gas emissions, largely from burning fossil fuels, methane escaping from fossil fuel recovery, industrial meat production, and permafrost melting.
Climate change is not a partisan concern. The Conservative Climate Leadership Council recognizes the crisis, with support from BP, Exxon, Shell, and Total. In addition to local adaptation, we need to tell our Congressional delegation to pass a bipartisan bill using the market to decrease fossil fuel use by gradually increasing the price while protecting low and middle-income people with a monthly dividend. The most robust of the 10 bills currently in Congress is the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, HR 763. The economy as a whole won’t be hurt by doing this, but sectors like fishing will be impacted as they transition to low carbon energy sources. Legislation must include protection of our fishing community, just as the Senate discussion includes help for transitioning coal country. Our collective national and global wellbeing depends on keeping fossil fuels in the ground.
Three of the dissenting Assembly members suggested putting a climate emergency and adaptation plan to Sitka voters next fall, rather than providing leadership now. Community education is certainly critical in motivating each of us to reduce our carbon footprint, but years of educating the public on any important public policy concern, is no guarantee of needed action now. There have already been years of education. The unanimous position of the Sitka Fish and Game Advisory Committee provided expert opinion and they are alarmed about our climate emergency. Note that 20 of 24 elected representatives supported declaring a climate emergency.
An emergency requires action. With or without the Assembly declaring a climate emergency, we hope that our new administrator can direct city staff to save our city money by switching to local hydropower energy as soon as possible and to support preparation for inevitable changes. Those measures are and will be consistent with conservative, liberal, and religious values.
There is a famous quote of uncertain origin, “If not us who. If not now when.” Let us not be on the Ship of Fools who do nothing when all hands on deck are needed.
Libby Stortz, Sitka
