To the Editor:
Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s stand on current environment issues seems to have been getting tough criticism throughout his first two years as governor.
In the state of Virginia there are high amounts of carbon emissions and it is important that we get rid of it all. Result of burning fossil fuels was first noted during the Industrial Revolution. Since then the United States has been increasing CO2 emissions by 10 ppm every five years for 50 years after the Industrial Revolution.
Deforestation occurs very frequently in Virginia, forests are cut down to make the push for new development. The main issue with deforestation is that for every tree that gets cut down, it emits lots CO2.
In the Chantilly area, there have been numerous federal declared disasters within five years. This past winter a blizzard dumped up to 3 feet of snow within 24 hours. In 2010 there was a drought that occurred and rainfall in the summer declined by .50 millimeters per day. The following fall season there were more days of intense rainfall.
In the Norfolk area, dangerous storm surges and sea level rise has occurred frequently within the past decade. These changes have affected the lives of the citizens that live along the Hampton Roads area. People that live alongside the Hampton Road area now pay a large amount of money for flood insurance and business have lost about 25 percent of profit due to these unexpected sea levels and sudden flooding. As climate change keeps occurring that will only make the situation worse for the area. The mayor in Norfolk has proposed a solution to lower carbon emissions. This program encourages those who can cheaply cut down on their emissions to do so while also adjusting their industries to cut down on pollution.
Jose Orellana
Chantilly