Guest MINDSETTER™ Seth Steinman: RI on the Front Line of Climate Change
Saturday, April 21, 2012
As a coastal state, Rhode Island is on the front lines of climate change. By 2100, temperatures will be 4 to 13°F hotter than this year, with the higher temperature reflecting a higher emissions scenario. Along with higher temperatures comes rising ocean levels. According to the RI Coastal Management Council, the sea level around Rhode Island is projected to rise 2 to 5 feet.
Assuming that RI oceans rise 3 feet, children born today will likely live to see the entire Port of Providence be underwater and the Rhode Island State House lawn become beach front property. With a 5 foot rise, the State House will be flooded and, in the town of South Kingstown, RI alone, more than 700 acres and 429 buildings will be underwater, resulting in property loss worth $430 million, more than 20% of the entire tax value of the town. Under any scenario, coastal habitats will be destroyed, coastal populations displaced, infrastructure threatened, and coastal flooding will be rampant. The projections are truly dire. However, there are significant steps we can take right now to slow the rate of climate change and protect our future.
A Clean Energy Economy
Developing clean energy is one of those steps. As U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) says, clean jobs can, and should, be powering our economic recovery. The renewable energy sector has huge potential, both in terms of environmental benefit and employment opportunities. It creates more jobs than the fossil fuel sector per dollar invested and per megawatt generated. The clean economy already employs 2.7 million workers in the U.S., more than the entire fossil fuel industry.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHowever, Rhode Island is missing out on this green power revolution. According to R.I. Representative Deborah Ruggiero (D-Dist. 74), “RI ranks among the lowest 10 states in the country when it comes to renewable energy”. In the last few years, many states have adopted policies designed to leverage federal incentives to build wind turbines and solar panels. Some of those states are progressive, like Massachusetts, and others are decidedly conservative, like Texas. But regardless of their politics, they are becoming less dependent on fossil fuels and are creating private sector jobs in manufacturing, installation, and service. And in many cases, projects are being undertaken that reduce the energy bills of state and local governments – providing some welcome relief to taxpayers.
Rhode Island’s underinvestment in green energy means that we are burning dirty fuels that obviously come from out of state and we are losing out on the opportunity to create new, well-paying jobs based upon indigenous resources. For many years, Rhode Island has had a Renewable Portfolio Standard that calls for 16% of our electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020. That’s a great policy aimed at reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, but it doesn’t say those sources have to be from within Rhode Island. So we applaud the legislature for passing a group of renewable energy bills last year that will make new in-state projects more financially feasible and cut down on the red tape. A new pilot program just started to install 40 megawatts of renewable systems throughout the state. This will spur projects like the wind turbines we see in Portsmouth or the solar projects we might see (they are too scarce!) scattered around the state. Already, Rhode Island’s approach is being watched from other states as a potential model for supporting the development of renewable energy in a smart, cost-effective way.
In large part because of these new energy laws, we are seeing more and more new projects getting started. Jamestown is in the late stages of planning a new wind turbine that will not only generate clean electricity and create jobs, but also provide a new revenue stream for the town. North Smithfield is looking to partner with neighboring communities and build a wind turbine that will provide clean energy to town buildings. And the solar industry has started to prospect for sites in the state, so we can anticipate seeing photovoltaic installations pop up all over.
On a much larger scale, the proposed offshore wind farm will create hundreds of jobs in our state, and provide a boost to Quonset Point in North Kingstown, which will assemble and ship the hundreds of turbines. Speaking about this project, Senator Whitehouse said, “There is no single project that has a better hope for a significant change in unemployment." These projects are good for the environment, create jobs, and help towns’ bottom lines; we urge you to continue supporting them.
A commitment to clean energy and green jobs also requires individuals to take action. Consumers have the opportunity to easily switch from fossil fuels to green power, through a program jointly offered by National Grid and the nonprofit organization People’s Power & Light. For information, visit www.ripower.org.
We also we recommend that every resident get a no-cost home energy assessment from National Grid, which will lower your energy use, emissions, and bills; get started by calling 1-877-784-3709.
We, as a society, need to acknowledge the science and recognize the threat that climate change poses to our coast and residents. But we can also be optimistic that there are great local and personal benefits to taking action.
Seth Steinman is a Program Associate at People’s Power & Light.
