Florida Veterans for Common Sense (FLVCS) asks our elected officials and candidates to immediately implement policies that will reverse global warming. The policies need to
- encourage the addition of less heat trapping gas to the atmosphere by use of less energy and by transitioning to zero emission energy sources (solar, wind, nuclear, hydro power and geothermal energy), and
- encourage the removal of excess carbon from of the atmosphere thru reforestation and effective soil management.
The situation is beyond Urgent
Our best scientific information indicates that we have only about a decade in which to implement such policies. Failing to do so will bring on fast and violent natural processes, such as melting of the permafrost (with release of heat trapping gases by decomposition of the contained biota) and the melting of methane clathrates. Thus ensuring that man can no longer affect the runaway heating of our planet.
Global warming is a threat to national security
National security experts say scarcities caused by climate change will increase resource competition and place additional economic burdens on countries around the world. Considered a “threat multiplier,” global warming will aggravate poverty, environmental degradation, political instability, social tensions, and evacuation of climate refugees. Such conditions will facilitate terrorist activity and other violence calling for increased military involvement. At home, coastal military installations are threatened by rising sea level, flooding and storm surges. Bases everywhere are in danger of killer heat. We will face internal stressors in the coming decades, as millions of people from inundated coastal areas seek to migrate elsewhere in the U.S.
We must adapt and mitigate to reverse global warming
“Adaptation” is the process of adjusting to actual or expected climate change. This approach is often equated with the concept of “resiliency,” and includes protecting existing infrastructure, homes, and people from rising seas, fires, stronger weather and other changes. “Mitigation” is human intervention to reduce heat-trapping emissions or remove carbon already in the atmosphere. Therefore, mitigation is avoiding the unmanageable, whereas adaptation is managing the unavoidable. FLVCS believes we cannot focus exclusively on adaptation (resiliency), as is the trend in Florida now. The climate will continue changing and the long-term impact of global warming will be too severe to manage. We must mitigate.
Actions needed for office holders and candidates to reverse global warming
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Federal level
- national price on carbon with revenues returned to household.
- Support for global climate action, including, at a minimum, participation in the Paris agreement.
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State level
- Low carbon energy portfolios -100% zero emission electricity generation by 2030.
- Change utility business model so utilities don’t make more money by selling more electricity.
- Virtual net metering.
- Ban on Fracking.
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Local level
- Conservation, carbon sequestration, transition to zero emission fuels thru building codes, landscape and farming rules, and public transport.
- Counties update their Comprehensive Plans to include both adaptation and mitigation.
These initiatives are the kind of action we need to achieve a livable world and a secure nation.
Appendix
Action needed to reverse global warming at different levels of government
To achieve the necessary removal of heat trapping gases from our atmosphere by 2030, we must reduce our emissions by about 8% annually, and we must increase our use of photosynthesis to sequester carbon in soils. This removal is a huge challenge that can only be met if all levels of government take action.
Federal
Congress must pass a law that puts a steadily rising price on carbon and returns all revenues to consumers. A bi-partisan bill is already before Congress. We expect all candidates for Congress to support the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (H.R. 763) which will reduce emissions by 40% in 10 years, create jobs, stimulate the economy and improve health.
Global cooperation is essential to achieve the degree of climate mitigation to achieve the level of carbon removal needed. We expect, at a minimum, support for participation in the Paris agreement.
State
Because states regulate utilities, Florida State officeholders must:
- require providers to have low carbon energy portfolios with a target of 100% zero emission electricity generation by 2030, and
- change regulations so utilities do not increase profits by selling more electricity. The current growth model creates a disincentive for investment in energy efficiency, distributed generation, and other possibilities that could reduce consumers’ use and their bills.
Utilities should focus on service and emission reduction. Barriers to the use and practical distribution of solar energy should be eliminated including making it legal for community or shared-solar programs. Community and shared-solar programs allow multiple utility customers to connect to one shared solar installation. Both items above, plus passing a ban on fracking, is what we expect of candidates for State offices in Florida.
Local
Building codes, landscape rules, farming rules, and public transportation are controlled by cities and counties. All provide opportunities for energy conservation, carbon sequestration, and transition to zero emission energy. In Florida, we have additional leverage in recent “Peril of Flood” legislation which mandates that counties upgrade their comprehensive planning by 2021 to address sea level rise and climate change. Moreover, we ask candidates for County office to pledge to update such planning so it includes strategies that reduce heat trapping gas emissions to near zero by 2030, and that take carbon from the atmosphere using reforestation and proper soil management.
References and Additional Reading
2012 Union of Concerned Scientists. Cooler Smarter: practical steps for low-carbon living.
2018 Union of Concerned Scientists. The Nuclear Power Dilemma.
2018 Center for Biological Development. Throwing Shade: 10 Sunny States’ Policies Blocking Distributed Solar Development.
2018 Florida Veterans for Common Sense. Urgency and Action: Drawdown to Reverse Global Warming.
2018 UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°
2018 US Fourth Climate Assessment
2019 The Sixth Global Environment Outlook
2019 Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity ad Ecosystems Service (IPBES)
2019 Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC)
2019 UN Emissions Gap Report