EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece was originally published in the Spring 2019 magazine.
Research indicates that humans will begin to feel serious effects from climate change by the end of the century. This timeline places the pressure to mitigate and adapt to climate change on current lawmakers and citizens. The debate over how, and if, to address climate issues is occurring at national and local levels, with varying levels of success. This includes work being done by the Athens-Clarke County Commission and the University of Georgia.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released several varying climate projections based on a greenhouse gas measurement known as a Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP). The most severe of these projections offers a window to a very possible Doomsday, and the most moderate still paints an image of a much warmer world in the coming century. In the highest greenhouse gas projection RCP8.5, global temperature is anticipated to rise 5-6 degrees Celsius by the year 2100, with significant warming in the Arctic. In the least severe scenario RCP2.6, only moderate global heating is expected. However, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, “[a] large-scale, global and differentiated greenhouse gas mitigation strategy and new technologies would need to be widely employed very soon in order to attain this reality of this scenario.”
The tipping point for greenhouse gas emission is fast approaching, and a cooperative effort across all elements of society will be necessary to combat and mitigate its effects. This must include robust policy at the local, national and international level, in addition to behavioral change in the private sector, both personal and corporate.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has introduced one comprehensive piece of legislation, alongside Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) aimed at combating the effects of climate change. This legislation has been christened the Green New Deal by policy-makers and media alike. However, the legislation is receiving push-back from both Republicans and Democrats. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is unwilling to commit to the proposal, according to a February 27 statement. It is probable that if the national government is unable to reach a solution on accountable climate action, the burden of notable change will fall heavily on local governments and non-governmental actors.
On February 4, 2018, Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelley Girtz signed a pledge committing to the Sierra Club Mayors for 100% Clean Energy Initiative, joining close to 100 other mayors at the time of the signing. The pledge represents the goal of 100% clean and sustainable energy in Athens-Clarke County by 2035.
In the wake of Earth Day in 2018, Girtz also released a five-point environmental plan. The five points of the plan are: a local ban or fee on single-use plastics, establishment of solar power for municipal use, identification and protection of more greenspace and riparian areas, creation of stronger energy efficiency standards, incentives for new and old buildings, and continued improvement of solid waste reduction efforts.
The Athens-Clarke community has the opportunity to match Mayor Girtz efforts to move the county towards more environmentally-conscious policy with University-wide adjustments towards sustainability at the University of Georgia. The University’s plan for 2020 contains seven strategic directions, the last of which is ‘improving stewardship of natural resources and advancing campus sustainability’. This includes an action plan for annually analyzing and updating campus sustainability efforts, a reduction in carbon emissions by 20 percent, updating university guidelines for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for buildings, expansion of mass-transit options, and integration of sustainability into the classroom experience among other strategic goals.
David Brooks of The New York Times describes the complex web of actors, structures and systems faced in our world as “emergent systems.” He continues, “Emergent systems are ones in which many different elements interact. The pattern of interaction then produces a new element that is greater than the sum of the parts, which then exercises a top-down influence on the constituent elements.” In other words, the greater paradigm of a global society has a significant impact on culture, law and values. This, in turn, dictates individual and collective behavior.
This point is where advocacy must meet accountability in the form of action. If climate is to be addressed in a holistic manner, the culture must match the desired effect. As the nation moves slowly towards an environmentally-conscious and climate-accountable culture, local bodies such as Athens-Clarke County can lead a grass roots, bottom-up approach to combating the effects of climate change. Time to wait is running out.