Citizens Energy Plan for Virginia
Scientific consensus affirms global warming is occurring and that it is primarily caused by the use of such fossil fuels as coal and oil. Assessments from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predict that unchecked higher temperatures, rising sea levels and more frequent extreme weather phenomena caused by global warming pose some of the most significant threats faced by humanity.(1)
While global warming is caused by human action, the worst effects can be forestalled if sufficient action is taken to cut emissions. This is a significant challenge, requiring the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources and the redesign of buildings, systems, and communities to use energy more efficiently.
Virginia’s economy currently relies heavily on fossil fuels and lags other states in curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, during the study for its Citizens Energy Plan (CEP), the Virginia Chapter Sierra Club found the state has considerable potential for efficiency and renewables.
Virginia could reduce carbon dioxide emissions on an average of two percent per year as early as 2030, putting us on a path to reach 80 percent reduction by 2050. The CEP projects a nearly complete phase-out of power generated from coal by 2030.
With our legacy of ingenuity and commitment, Virginia is capable of meeting this challenge, but action will be needed by government, citizens, and business alike. As the federal government moves toward carbon regulation, those states currently enacting progressive energy policies will realize competitive advantage in the future and be better able to support growth and provide high standards of living to their citizens.
The CEP recommends Virginians immediately take action against global warming to help secure our economy, to provide a clean and hopeful future for our children, and to reduce future damage to the state from rising sea levels and changing climate.
In this report, the Sierra Club offers Virginia citizens a vision for a new and clean energy future by:
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• Explaining impacts of the state’s current energy use
• Presenting alternatives with the most potential for Virginia
• Detailing what to include in a sustainable energy plan
Click here to read the full Citizens Energy Plan for Virginia (pdf).
The Citizens Energy Plan for Virginia was prepared in 2007 by members of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club’s Energy Committee and staff, with primary contributions from:
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• Dr. Richard Ball, Energy Chair
• Brooks Cressman, Conservation Chair
• Roger Diedrich, Smart Growth and Transportation Chair
• Joshua Low, Organizer
• Barbara Null, Editor
Additional contributors:
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• Christopher Carney
• Dr. Ana Prados
• Ross Shearer
(1) IPCC, 2007: Summary for Policymakers. Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Solomon, S. D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K. B. Avery, M. Tignor and H. L. Miller (eds.).
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.
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[...] as well. His most recent contribution to the Virginia Chapter was co-researching and co-writing the Citizen Energy Plan, which has received wide recognition and [...]