Photo: Neabsco Creek Creek, Sheryl Pollock
When most folks talk about the signs of climate change, they point to things they can see. We see destruction from fires, droughts, or sea rise around the country and the world – and right here in Virginia, we can see it in increased flooding along our coastlines. But for me and other Audubon members, we see it in the changes in the birds in our own backyards.
Nearly 70 species of birds that call Virginia home are at serious risk of extinction from climate change and related threats like sea-level rise, forest fires and false springs, according to the National Audubon Society’s recent climate report, Survival by Degrees. And nationally, that number grows to two-thirds of North American bird species.
Cerulean Warbler, DJ McNeil/USDA
That statistic should alarm everyone, not just birders like me. As indicator species, birds tell us about the health our environment. Birders all over Northern Virginia are commenting on the small number of water birds that have shown up this winter as a result of the unusually warm winter. While one winter’s average temperature does not itself demonstrate climate change, it is a component of the rising average temperatures that are projected to reach dangerous levels in just a few years. The same threats that endanger our birds’ futures also endanger our homes and communities in Virginia and ultimately the lives of our children and grandchildren.
It’s disheartening living so close to Washington and seeing so many of our nation’s leaders either failing to act or, even more dangerously, undoing the positive steps our government has taken to combat climate change. Fortunately, that’s not the story in Richmond, where the General Assembly is working to pass a series of bills to fight climate change in the Commonwealth.
One bill in particular stands out from the rest – the Virginia Clean Economy Act. This bill would make Virginia a national leader in transitioning our energy economy from fossil fuels to clean sources like wind and solar, and in eliminating pollution from our energy utilities. Under this bill, by 2050 the electricity generated by Virginia’s public utilities will come from clean sources and they will be completely emissions-free. With proper siting and management practices to avoid harm to birds, eliminating carbon pollution by switching to clean sources of energy like wind and solar will go a long way toward preserving Virginia’s beautiful habitat for birds and people alike for decades to come.
The Virginia Clean Economy Act isn’t perfect, but it’s the best piece of energy legislation we’ve seen come out of Richmond in a long time. Passing this bill and signing it into law will mark a historic first step in the fight against climate change. Our birds are telling us we have to act on climate change. If we don’t heed their warning, they won’t be the only ones facing extinction. I hope all legislators in the General Assembly will do the right thing when the time comes to vote and support the Virginia Clean Economy Act.