Poll: coal state Virginia sees global warming as 'very serious'

onNov 4, 2008 @ 09:18 PST

A new poll released today by the University of Virginia finds the majority of Virginians believe that the earth is not only getting warmer but that global warming also constitutes a “very serious” problem.

72 percent of Virginians, thought the government should take immediate action to deal with climate change.

“It is a remarkable change. … I have not seen as issue like that move from the back of the line to the front of the line ever before,” said Gov. Tim Kaine (D).

Unfortunately, the concern reported in this poll belies reality. While the State government is beginning to implement measures to reduce Virginia’s greenhouse gas emissions, with 160 coal mining operations and 44% of the State’s electricity coming from coal there remains a lot more work to do before the concerns of Virginians are met.

By Kevin Grandia

Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmog. He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a “Green Hero” by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the “Top 50 Tweeters” on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning. Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevin’s research into the “climate denial industry” and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Koch’s massive financial investments in the Republican and tea party networks. Kevin is the first person to be designated a “Certified Expert” on the political and community organizing platform NationBuilder. Prior to DeSmog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health. In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the world’s best e-Content and innovative ICT applications. Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.

uk/Liz Truss Book Calls for Climate Laws to be Abolished and Boasts of Effort to Cancel UK COP Summit

ByAdam Barnett

onApr 18, 2024 @ 08:43 PDT

The former prime minister attacks flagship climate deals and makes false claims about electric vehicles, Russia’s influence on energy policies, and net zero.