On February 23 and February 25, Fairfax County Wants to Hear from You on Energy and Transportation
Did you know, 68 percent of Fairfax County residents believe that individual citizens should do more to address climate change? Climate change is a global problem, but it also stands to impact us locally and we have a responsibility to address it head on. In response, Fairfax County has created a Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan, or CECAP.
The facts can be hard to swallow: climate change is expected to alter the geographic reach, seasonal distribution, and abundance of disease vectors, like mosquitoes and ticks. Infectious diseases that were once considered tropical or subtropical may become commonplace in our region. On top of that, the economic sector most at risk due to climate change is agriculture. For each degree Celsius our global thermostat increases, there will be a 5 to 15 percent decrease in overall crop production. As supply decreases, and demand remains the same or increases, the price of food could very well rise.
The good news is no action is too small to make a difference. From changing a light bulb, to choosing to drive an electric vehicle, to weatherizing a home or business, we can all participate in climate action in multiple ways according to our means and abilities. There is no guarantee that our individual actions will directly alter our experience of climate change here in Fairfax County in the short term, but inaction is not an option if we want to see positive change here and elsewhere in our region in the long term. The CECAP is our path forward – a roadmap for our community, showing us the many ways we can start to address climate change locally.
Please learn more about climate action in Fairfax County. Later this month, online surveys will be available, and the county will host two public meetings to gather community input on climate change mitigation strategies and actions.
February 23, 2021: Virtual public meeting on energy issues. Join via WebEx.
February 25, 2021: Virtual public meeting on transportation, development, and waste issues. Join via WebEx.
Hi,
In a recent Fairfax County (it may have been by Supervisor Storck, not sure) sponsored survey about activities with negative impacts on our environment, I didn’t see any mention of gas powered mowers and leaf blowers. Anyone who lives in a Fairfax County suburb has to contend with their incredibly loud and almost constant annoyance. But more to the point, there is a lot of scientific evidence that those machines cause an enormous amount of pollution. I suggest that a regulation be implemented that would phase out the use of gas powered yard care machines in favor of electric ones, especially for commercial use.
Thank you,
Nancy Herrman
Nancy, if you want the county to consider your proposal, please write to CECAP directly:
[email protected]