Green Options

We know a bit about the current situation on climate change. We know which countries are emitting the most global warming emissions. We know that the EU is actively implementing policies to get their emissions down and are serious about keeping climate change at the top of the priority list, even in one of the biggest economic struggles in history. We know that little nations like Tuvalu are working to address climate change. We know that ambitious and engaged countries are running into unseen problems and are unsure where to go in the future. We know that the US is looking to pass a climate bill for the first time and could change history in the process, and the USDA supports it but climate change groups, consumer advocate groups, and social equity groups are quite concerned about some of the changes made by the House of Representatives at the last minute. We know that China, India, and Brazil’s growth in greenhouse gas emissions have skyrocketed (several times faster than developed countries’ still growing emissions) in the past two decades.

A proposal by Old Dominion Electric Cooperative for a new power plant in central Virginia has local environmental activists up in arms.

An environmental coalition that includes the Sierra Club and Chesapeake Climate Action Network is strongly opposed to the $6 billion plant, saying they are extremely concerned and are pledging “all-out war” against the plans.

“At a time when a majority of Virginians believe that action is required on climate change we have Old Dominion Electric Cooperative ignoring both public opinion and climate science to propose a massive new coal plant. It’s not just about climate change; as a resident of Wise County I see the devastation of mountaintop removal coal mining every day. We’ve lost 29 mountains already.” - Kathy Selvage, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards

News broke this week that 53 people were listed in a Maryland State Police database as “suspected terrorists.” The listing was the result of an extensive surveillance program that infiltrated several activist organizations and gathered intelligence about the individuals and activities in them.