Roberta Gastmeyer and Lynn Frazier Guest columnists to The Gainesville Sun
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently released a report that clearly summarizes our desperate situation: We are already feeling the effects of climate change and the heat waves, droughts and floods will only get worse unless we accelerate our transition away from oil, coal and gas.
The number of coal-burning power plants in the U.S. has declined significantly. Unfortunately, coal has been replaced mostly by fossil gas, which now supplies three-fourths of the electricity generation in Florida.
The oil and gas industry promotes fossil gas as “natural” and “clean,” but recent scientific studies show that methane — the greenhouse gas released during the production, transportation and burning of “natural” gas — has 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after entering the atmosphere.
To quickly cut greenhouse gas emissions, we must stop investing in new fossil-fuel infrastructure. This includes everything from gas pipelines and power plants to household appliances and lawnmowers.
Whenever we replace a machine, it must be with an electric machine. We must do this while simultaneously increasing clean, renewable energy production to power all those electric machines.
Recognizing the urgency, cities across the nation have started banning gas equipment in new buildings. In turn, the gas industry, recognizing the threat, pushed a bill through the 2021 Florida legislative session, SB 1128, which preempts similar actions in our state. However, there are still things we can do in Alachua County to reduce our reliance on fossil gas.
Most of Gainesville Regional Utilities’ gas-fired power plants are old and due to be retired within the next couple of decades. It is critical to replace those old plants with truly clean, renewable energy generation. Advances in solar and battery storage are making this feasible and affordable.
Regrettably, GRU has been expanding gas infrastructure in another way — promoting the purchase of gas appliances by advertising fossil gas as a “clean” fuel and providing rebates of up to $1,600 for new gas ranges, hot-water heaters and dryers. This is the exact opposite of what we need to be doing.
The Gainesville City Commission recently voted that GRU can no longer use the misleading word “clean” in their gas promotions but allowed the rebates, 88% of which go to developers of new neighborhoods, to continue. The good news is that our Utility Advisory Board has been asked to propose some incentives that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help low-income households rather than encouraging more fossil fuel use.
The League supported the City Commission’s Declaration of Climate Emergency and its resolution to be powered by 100% renewable electricity and net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. To stave off the worst effects of climate change, we must immediately move beyond declarations and resolutions to concrete actions.
The first step is to stop all additional fossil fuel investments. Instead, we need to invest in technology that will reduce electricity use and increase renewable energy production. This will create a more resilient and affordable energy system while protecting front-line and vulnerable communities.
Lynn Frazier is president of the League of Women Voters of Alachua County and Roberta Gastmeyer is co-chair of its Natural Resource Committee.
As published by The Gainesville Sun, September 2, 2021
See the original article here: https://www.gainesville.com/story/opinion/2021/09/02/roberta-gastmeyer-and-lynn-frazier-stop-investing-fossil-fuels/5654598001/
