By Cynthia Satterfield
State Director
Take a trip around any of North Carolina's cities and you'll see clear evidence that our state is one of the fastest growing in the nation.
Between 2010 and 2020, North Carolina's population increased by more than 900,000; from July 2020 and July 2021 alone, we added almost 94,000 people. It’s no surprise, with our central location along the East Coast, a temperate climate, top universities, and beautiful landscapes from the mountains through rolling farmland to the coast. We’ve long been a magnet for business and technology companies, which continue to site new facilities and create jobs here. That, in turn, leads to a booming housing market in our urbanized areas.
But if you step out of your car on your next drive to Nags Head, or along any rural highway, you may see a very different picture. Here, the lack of opportunity is driving people - and their skills - away. Local governments that desperately need economic support have turned too often to industries that can harm air, water, and community health. These same areas of environmental injustice are often those that are hit worst by severe weather and other impacts of climate change.
So how do we help North Carolinians in every county get access to steady jobs, good schools, safe homes and healthy lives, while we follow through with necessary and laudable efforts to fight climate change?
Our state, under Gov. Roy Cooper's leadership, committed in December 2018 to building a clean energy economy and address the challenge of a changing climate. His Executive Order 80 set a goal to reduce statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, to increase zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) to at least 80,000, and to reduce energy use in government buildings.
EO80 also directed cabinet agencies to develop various plans and reports for clean energy, ZEVs, clean transportation, and climate science. These plans included overarching goals like reducing electric power sector GHGs by 70 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and attaining carbon neutrality by 2050. With the passage last October of a new energy law, the N.C. Utilities Commission became legally bound to take steps to achieve those reductions.
We were excited to see Cooper up this ante with EO246, “North Carolina’s Transformation to a Clean, Equitable Economy,” signed this month. EO246 set a revised goal of 50 percent greenhouse gas emissions reductions from 2005 levels by 2030, and net zero as soon as possible. The order also accelerates the clean transportation transition, targeting an increase to 1.25 million registered ZEVs by 2030 and 50 percent of new vehicles being ZEVs. It directs the N.C .Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop a clean transportation plan for how to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and increase ZEVs on the road.
Importantly, EO246 also aims for a just, equitable transition to a cleaner environment and greener economy that benefits all North Carolinians regardless of where they live. The order mandates that each cabinet agency appoint an environmental justice (EJ) lead to ensure that decisions are transparent and that public participation is improved, particularly in underserved communities.
Agencies are also directed to allocate state and federal funds more equitably to promote resiliency, invest in historically underserved communities, and increase affordability for low- and moderate-income households, advance health equity. The Governor’s Climate Change Interagency Council is further tasked with boosting underrepresented voices and increasing workforce diversity in North Carolina’s growing climate and clean economy.
The N.C. Sierra Club not only helped influence these directives, but also has a critical role to play in their execution. As state leaders work out how to attain a clean, equitable - and still-growing - economy, we'll be there to provide our expertise, grassroots support, and amplify the voices that are not always heard.
As we seek sustainable, climate-friendly growth, we must address some dilemmas. We've written about them before:
- Increased population means more homes and subsequently, more electricity demand. Usage will similarly be driven by the influx of big technology companies and other energy-intensive industries. In fact, North Carolina remains among the top 10 states with the highest electricity consumption and is in the top five for residential sector electricity sales. As demand increases, how do we meet GHG reduction goals without burdening low-income customers? Learn more here.
- How must we transform our energy mix? What role will solar and wind energy play in meeting these challenges? Learn more here.
- As the state grows, more people and companies will need new vehicles. How can we encourage ZEV purchase and implementation? What role will the automobile industry and fleet managers play in this? Learn more here.
- How can we reduce VMT as our state continues to grow and people rely on their vehicles to get from one place to another? Learn more here.
- How can we build out infrastructure and public transit in a way that minimizes climate impacts, both in construction and operation? Learn more here.
- How can we support equitable and just change for all as we experience a population influx? Learn more about the meaning of a "just transition” here.
These questions are complex, but answering them makes it possible to act on climate change and open up a host of opportunities that will benefit all of North Carolina’s citizens. It's a chance, at last, to erode the divide between affluent urban areas and the underserved rural communities that have for too long been on the sidelines.