According to a new study on sea level rise by Architecture 2030, North America is just as vulnerable to dangerous property and land loss as the developing world because of how we have settled our coastal areas. In a “Nation Under Siege” , report author Dr. Mazria warns us that “. . . with just one meter of sea level rise, our nation will be physically under siege, vulnerable to catastrophic property and infrastructure loss with large population disruptions and economic hardship” because 53% of us in America live in or around a coastal city. Earth will gradually warm 2-3 C (3.6 – 5.4 F) over the next 100 years. Anthropogenic greenhouse gases are to blame. Currently, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is 383 ppm. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that it will be very difficult to reverse climatic changes once we reach an atmospheric concentration of 450 ppm. This could trigger “irreversible glacial melt and rapid sea level rise” that will be beyond our ability to control. At the current rate of carbon dioxide emissions, 2ppm per year, we will reach this dangerous level by 2040. Dr. Mazria raises the red flag about coal in “Nation Under Siege” . He says “the one fossil fuel positioned to push the planet beyond 450 ppm, and trigger dangerous climate change, is coal. If we are to avert this tipping point, we will need to call for an immediate halt to the construction of any new conventional coal-fired power plants and the phasing out of existing and aging coal plants over time. If we fail to take this action, there is no doubt we will soon reach the 450 ppm threshold.” GRN has joined the call to “Say Yes to Clean Energy” and is actively working alongside our member groups Sierra Club and LEAN to stop new coal in Louisiana. Recently, Entergy asked the Louisiana Public Service Commission to consider approving a proposal to convert the cleaner burning natural gas Little Gypsy power plant to a dirty coal and petroleum coke burning plant. Entergy-Louisiana’s 1,000,000 customers are being asked to foot the bill for this $1.55 billion project, which means that every Louisiana customer will be paying $1,550 to increase their global warming pollution output. This money could be spent more wisely and efficiently.Click here to ask the Public Service Commission to reject plans to convert the Little Gypsy to burn coal and coke.*Mark your calendar: We will also be attending the Louisiana Public Service Commission on October 11th to show the Commissioners that we care about our climate! Casey DeMoss Roberts is the Special Projects Coordinator for the Gulf Restoration Network.
