Sierra Club Position on Global Warming

It is the position of the Sierra Club that scientific evidence supports the conclusion that accumulating atmospheric carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion is increasing the earths' temperature. Unchecked, this warming will cause catastrophic sea level rise, dramatic changes in global precipitation and weather patterns, more powerful and frequent storms, accelerated species extinctions, and northward spreading of previously 'tropical' diseases, and other flora and fauna. The only debate is over how quickly it will happen, and what our response will be.

Cool Cities

As a result of this threat to our environment and our species, the Sierra Club has endorsed the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement (USMCPA), and developed a supporting program called Cool Cities. The USMCPA requires cities to set Kyoto-type carbon reduction goals for their own activities, support public education, and encourage business to take carbon reduction steps. Cool Cities takes this further, requiring a transparent and citizen available program of performing a carbon survey, and developing and implementing a plan to meet reduction goals. Cities can reduce energy use and carbon emissions by using efficient technologies, high MPG vehicles, efficient buildings, and purchasing renewable electricity (see the Sierra Club Cool Cities Website ). Over 390 US cities have signed the Mayors' Agreement since 2005.

Here in Northern Virginia, Alexandria; Richmond; Charlottesville; Washington DC, and other cities have signed the Mayors' Agreement and/or joined ICLEI and taken energy and carbon reduction steps. Activists are working with Arlington County to adopt Cool Cities. In Fairfax County, a coalition including the Sierra Club, CCAN (Chesapeake Climate Action Network) and a number of citizens and civic groups are working with Fairfax County to adopt Cool Cities under a Program called CoolFairfax, and to develop a related program for Counties around the country called Cool Counties.

Cool Counties

There are nearly 3000 counties in the United States. The club is currently working with Fairfax County, King County, and Montgomery County to develop a version of Cool Cities that is tailered to suburban and rural counties. This program will be announced in Richmond in July 2007 at the National Association of Counties (NACO) annual meeting.

CoolFairfax - Local Government Action on Global Warming

Cool Fairfax calls for Fairfax County to continue and expand the work the county has already done to reduce their energy use and carbon emissions by setting a specific target for carbon reduction, purchasing more renewable energy, reducing energy use even more through technology, and by further promoting green, efficient building standards.

The following organizations in Fairfax County have endorsed our petition to the county : Reston Association, Freinds of Riverbend Park, Fairfax County Federation of Citizen Associations, Reston Unitarian Universalists (UU) Church.

Green Energy Plan for Virginia

Virginia has a long way to go relative to some states that have revisioned their energy policies, regulation, and economy to meet the Global Warming and Energy Cost challenges of the 21st century. The Chapter's Green Energy Plan is a visioning process to move the state toward adoption and implementation of progressive policies such as mandatory Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), energy efficiency targets and programs funded by a statewide energy efficiency incentive fund called a Systems Benefits Fund (SBF), a comprehensive energy planning process called Integrated Resource Planning (IRP), and using de-coupling to reduce incentives for power companies to increase energy profits by per capita sales increases. Other demand reduction programs include the adoption of green building standards such as those developed by LEED, redesign of our urban and suburban communities to reduce our use of automobiles by enabling the use of mass transit or biking/walking to access services such as shopping, entertainment, employment, recreation and educational facilities. By reducing our energy use, and building more solar, wind, biomass, and combined cycle power plants, we can reduce our use of fossil fuels, save money, clean the air, and fight global warming. This program is in the development stages as of March 2007.