Development and Climate Change

Georgia has grown and benefited from automobiles and associated development for over 40 years.While this growth has led to prosperity, it has also led to development patterns that induce automobile dependency and greenhouse gas emissions that will have a negative impact on our future.In fact, a new study has labeled Georgia and other southern states among the worst in the US for creating these emission inducing development patterns.

ULI, Smart Growth America, and other organizations recently summarized existing research in a report entitled Growing Cooler. In it, they determine that development and traffic patterns are major contributors to climate change. 

The good news is that state and local governments in Georgia can impact greenhouse gas emissions by making decisions regarding land use policies and policies that lead to cleaner fuels and vehicles.

We can no longer ignore that our development patterns are a major problem for our state’s future. Some cities in the state are already taking action by signing the US Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement. Mayors for the cities of Alpharetta, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Decatur, East Point, Macon, and Tybee Island have signed on to the agreement. These mayors represent 910,726 people, or roughly 9.6% of the sate’s population.

Though these eight cities are taking action to ensure that our state has a sustainable long term future, Georgia may already be a decade behind other states with regard to responding to climate change. And as a coastal state, this should worry us.

Under the Georgia constitution, local governments have substantial authority to guide land use and future development. It is time for local governments to start making land use decisions with our 50-year future in mind.

Where will our energy come from?

Good news Georgia, we’re not the only ones increasing our carbon emissions!

The New York Times published a story yesterday saying that Italy’s major power producer, Enel, is converting one of its larger power plants to run on coal, “generally the dirtiest fuel on earth,” according to the Times.

 Another article from the L.A. Times states that:

 

“For the last five years, from 2003 through 2007, the global climate averaged 1 degree Fahrenheit warmer than its 20th century average.”

 

Our neighboring state governments, Florida and South Carolina, have begun to rethink their reliance on coal and are working on plans to reduce their carbon footprint.

 

But forget about what’s going on today. The important question is, where are we going to be getting our energy from in 50 years? Nuclear? Solar? Wind?

What source, what renewable source, has the ability to replace the juggernaut mega-watt producing coal-fired power plants that dot our state today?

Food for thought

 

On average, everything we eat travels 1,500 miles before it gets to our table. We find grapes from Chile, shrimp from China and lamb chops from New Zealand at our supermarkets.

 

But in an era when oil prices are skyrocketing, how long will we be able to afford food that has traveled half way around the world to reach our plate? As food costs continue to escalate, we may have little choice but to shift our food purchases away from well-traveled meat and vegetables to ones that are produced locally.

 

Fortunately, the number of farmers’ markets in the United States has grown from some 340 in 1970 to more than 3,700 in 2004. The first community-supported agriculture farm was established in 1985. Now, there are more than 1,500, including more than 15 in metro Atlanta.

 

During World War II, a campaign — “Plant more in ’44!” – encouraged Americans to plant Victory Gardens. Nearly 20 million of us did so and these gardens produced some 40 percent of the fruits and vegetables we ate in our homes.

 

In our fight against climate change, are we looking at a time in the coming decades when most of us will have victory gardens in our yards or on our balconies or when we must look to farmers’ markets for our food? Eating locally may be one way to reduce greenhouse gases (and combat ever higher food prices).

Ouch, that hurts.

Gas prices reached a record high last week in Atlanta.  Having just donated my old 4-cylinder to a niece, my timing could not be worse.  Many Georgians purchased 6- or 8-cylinder SUVs or similar sized vehicles in recent years.  The default miles per gallon for these vehicles stinks.  A daily commute may cost around $20 or more by current gas prices. 

 

The real problem is that the cost of gas now and in the future may be beyond the power of the U.S. government to reduce.  Limited processing capacity, transport, political instability and global competition seem here to stay. 

 

President Jimmy Carter got heaps of political grief in the 1970s energy crunch by suggesting Americans to turn down the thermostat and put on a sweater.  Will the next president ask Americans not to buy 6 or 8 cylinder cars unless by necessity?  What actions should a state, region or local government consider to affect individual gas consumption and energy independence?

It’s your future. Be heard.

We’ve gotten a lot of calls from colleges and other groups who hosted viewing parties of the live webcast of the Fifty Forward forum this morning.

 

If your class watched it together, or if you got together with your colleagues at the office and watched it, please contact us and let us know. We’re trying to keep track of how many people tuned in.

 

If you missed it, check back soon. We’ll archive it on this site, including the amazing Q&A that followed. And as soon as we can, we’ll post photos, speeches, summaries and videos.

 

We’d love to hear what everyone thought about Mayor Nickels’ ideas and what you thought about the webcast in general.

 

More than anything, we’d love to hear what you think Atlanta should look like in 50 years. If you watched the webcast, surely you have some great ideas. It’s time to share them.

 

It’s your future. Be heard.

Assumptions

As Louis Carroll stated: “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”

 

Are we considering how our state, region or communities may change as a result of trends that occur on the other side of the globe? And how do we incorporate and make adjustments for things like the aging baby boomers, increased runoff from impervious surfaces, continued growth combined with higher auto-ownership rates? 

 

Another example: much of the U.S. economy and certainly Atlanta’s transportation system is dependent on oil. 

 

The future price of oil is not only related to supply but also the costs of recovery and processing, transport, political stability and relationships with countries like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela or Nigeria (three of our top 5 import countries). And what about a growing middle class buying cars in China and India.  How do we incorporate all that information into what we’re doing here in Atlanta?

 

We must be broad-minded when considering assumptions about the future.  We should seek out many diverse types of information.  We should absolutely consider the impact on our communities or state from growing world populations.  We should be very concerned with the possibility of shrinking sources of funds for infrastructure.

 

 

Hate to say it, but it takes thinking outside the box.

Georgia and Climate Change

According to a new study, Georgia and other southern states are among the worst in the U.S. in creating development patterns that result in greenhouse gases.

 

Georgia can no longer ignore that our own low-density development patterns are a major problem for our state’s future, health, safety and welfare, especially with the increasing amount of resources and guidance available.  While density is considered a four letter word by many, the fact is that Georgia needs more density, particularly close to jobs in the coming decades.  When the choice is between density or water availability and new jobs, the scale may appear more balanced. 

 

Georgia cities and counties may already be a decade behind other states with regard to responding to the challenges of climate change. 

 

We need more mixed-use development, more residential density close to jobs and services, more transit and alternative modes, cleaner vehicles and fewer transportation improvements that lead to inefficient, low-density development patterns.  These initiatives can truly begin to change Georgia’s outlook with regard to climate change.