By Jess Gardner
So what exactly is a climate emergency declaration? A climate emergency declaration is different from a state of emergency or a public health emergency in that it focuses on government acknowledgement rather than government power. Should Delaware declare a climate emergency, no additional power will be given to the government. Instead, the declaration forces the government to acknowledge the problem of climate change. Explicit acknowledgement is the first step toward finding solutions. Essentially, a climate emergency declaration would allow the government to admit the truths surrounding climate change and encourage future state policy to improve the situation.
Why is climate change a problem for Delawareans? Climate change will not just cause the average global temperatures to rise, but also make us more vulnerable here in Delaware. Extreme heat waves will become more common as increasing temperatures cause weather patterns to be less predictable. Warming waters will make hurricanes more powerful and more frequent. Our coastline communities will more routinely flood due to rising sea levels.
Extreme heat is going to become an issue in our cities because of the urban heat island effect. This occurs when vegetation is replaced with concrete and asphalt which are insulating materials that cause surface temperatures to rise and stay high for a longer period of time. As these inner city surface temperatures rise, people without air conditioning will become very vulnerable to heat stroke. The other problem with rising temperatures and extreme heat is that it is unpredictable as to when temperatures will spike; we only know that the average temperature will rise. According to a recent Stanford study, it is likely that weather patterns will become more chaotic with surging heat waves followed by freezing temperatures, making long term weather forecasting impossible for many parts of the planet.
Hurricanes and flooding are other natural disasters that face Delaware. With the lowest mean elevation out of any state, Delaware is especially vulnerable to flooding through storm surges and tidal flooding. Brandywine and Southbridge in Wilmington have already been hit hard by flooding caused by Hurricane Ida with many people losing their homes. It is our job as Delawareans to slow down climate change so that extreme floods such as the one that hurt our communities in September last year do not become a common occurrence throughout the state.
Clearly, climate change is a huge problem and one that we must do more to address. The first step for Delaware to take to fight climate change is through greenhouse gas emission reductions. Reducing our emissions improves our air quality and slows the effects of climate change. Delaware is currently a member of the US Climate Alliance and, as such, we already have executive-level emission reduction goals that have been set by our governor. Our current goal is a 26% emission reduction, compared to 2005 emissions, by 2025. It is 2022 and we are well on our way to achieving that goal. While it’s great that Delaware is reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we need to be setting more ambitious goals into law.
The emission reduction goal that many states have adopted, and the goal that is supported by both President Biden and climate scientists, is to achieve 50% emission reductions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. Keeping this in mind, the Sierra Club Delaware Chapter, along with other environmental organizations, have drafted an ambitious emission reduction plan for Delaware. Specifically, we are calling for 50% emission reductions by 2030, 70% by 2040, 90% by 2045, and net zero by 2050. The Sierra Club’s goal may seem like a big jump from our current goal, but with the declaration of a climate emergency and the influx of federal support from the Biden administration we can make this plan a reality.
The proposed emergency declaration legislation would also move Delaware further in combating climate change by giving state agencies a climate directive. This would require all relevant state agencies to consider climate change and these new greenhouse gas emission reduction goals when creating policy and plans. Currently, many Delaware state agencies are forbidden to consider climate change when creating new policies. This is a problem not only for the environment but also for Delaware resident’s health, homes, and livelihoods.
There are many additional reasons why it is essential to declare a climate emergency and create robust emission reduction goals for Delaware residents. The Sierra Club Delaware Chapter and many other environmental organizations have worked together to draft a bill, and our top priority is to get this bill passed during this legislative session. This means we only have until June 30, 2022, to get our proposal introduced and passed. This is where you come in!
The Sierra Club Delaware Chapter needs you to contact your local representatives and tell them why you’re an advocate for the climate emergency legislation. You can easily take action by clicking here which will take you to a letter to your local representative that is easy to fill in. Don’t just take action for the Sierra Club, do it for yourself and your loved ones. Together we can change policy and save our state.