Why I’m Running for Office: Defending our Environment
I don’t mean to be dramatic, but my hometown of Virginia Beach is literally sinking into the ocean.
Our planet’s temperature is rising, and with it so are sea levels. Those are measureable and undeniable facts. A broad consensus of experts (about 97%) attribute both to human activities like carbon emissions. It is past time to face reality by dramatically reducing the use of fossil fuels and mitigating the impacts that our pollution has already caused.
Rapidly shifting away from carbon fuels means we need to talk about two key points: how do we generate enough energy to keep our economy moving, and what happens to the people who relied on those industries for family-sustaining income? I believe we can solve both by making smart investments in developing and manufacturing clean energy here in Virginia.
Communities that have a proud history of providing energy for our Commonwealth in the form of coal have been devastated by falling prices, increased automation, and low demand. Locating new manufacturing facilities in these towns for wind turbines and solar panels would be a win-win. Broad, flat swaths of land that once grew tobacco now lay bare across much of southern Virginia. They are perfect candidates for solar farms. Offshore tracts that were once targeted for oil drilling could be used to develop tidal energy technology.
These are the kind of ideas that I would love to pursue as a state Delegate in Richmond. As a member of the Sierra Club, I know that we have to act now to defend our environment. I believe we can do so while preserving, and even expanding, jobs in the energy sector.
Help me mitigate climate change in Virginia today.
https://vote4TomBrock.com