Sunday, June 22, 2008
Climate change in the New River Valley
Christian Trejbal
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Virginia rarely jumps to the fore of progressive policy, and the commonwealth is not rushing to confront climate change. It is easing into the issue, though, and the debate came to Blacksburg last week.
Some states have already adopted smart policies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and others are following. Virginia only has danced around the edges, implementing a few tentative policies to promote environmental stewardship.
Gov. Tim Kaine realizes the commonwealth needs to do more. Last year, he created the Governor's Commission on Climate Change to assess risks and suggest action. Its final report is due in December.
The commission includes state and local elected officials, planners, academics, transportation managers, industry representatives and environmentalists. A more representative sampling of the stakeholders would be hard to find.
The New River Valley has a seat at the table, too, filled by Blacksburg Mayor Ron Rordam. He was an obvious choice after the town was among the first localities in the region to adopt sustainability and climate measures.
He hosted the entire panel last week at the German Club in Blacksburg.
Outside, the vehicles in the parking lot concealed the purpose of the meeting. There were few hybrids, and they were outnumbered by more than two dozen big, gas-guzzling SUVs, pickup trucks and minivans.
Inside, there was serious talk about a serious issue.
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If a single word could distill the theme of the presentations in the air-conditioned conference room, it would be "dramatic." Speaker after speaker invoked the D-word.
"What we really are going to need is a dramatic shift from automobile use to other forms of transportation to make a difference in the next five to 10 years," Petra Mollet of the American Public Transportation Association said.
"People care about their communities, and they want to know that their community character will be preserved in the face of dramatic change," added John Thomas, of the Development Community and Environment Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Americans cannot continue traveling and building communities the way they have for the last century if they hope to prevent environmental catastrophe.
The commission heard that greenhouse gas reduction requires local action. State government can offer guidance, set up targets and empower localities to do the right things. Towns and counties will have to take advantage of it.
Communities in the New River Valley could start by providing alternatives to the car. One-third of carbon dioxide emissions come from transportation, and most of that from surface transportation. Indeed, more than half of an average household's carbon footprint comes from tailpipes.
Blacksburg and Roanoke have bus systems, but that is about it. Christiansburg, Radford and the rest of the region's communities are strapped for cash as it is without subsidizing public transportation systems, which would surely be necessary.
Buses aren't the only option, though. Bicycles and feet provide even cleaner transportation, but citizens will embrace them only if they are safe and practical.
That means building sidewalks and bike lanes. Too many communities were lax for decades, allowing development to proceed without requiring infrastructure to support pedestrians and bikers. Building those connections today will cost money, but it will be money well spent and mostly upfront investment.
More important, governments should adopt development standards that require sidewalks and bike lanes with all new construction. Starting tomorrow, no New River Valley community should approve a housing project that skimps on alternative transportation.
Localities must also confront sprawl. The far-flung suburbs of Northern Virginia come to mind immediately, but our rural part of the state must admit it has a problem.
Blacksburg is a regional economic hub, but housing there is unaffordable to too many workers. Instead, people commute from Christiansburg, Pulaski or Giles County. The miles and carbon add up quickly.
Even small communities must start encouraging denser, mixed-use development. The automobile made it possible to live far from work and shopping. Now, we must turn our back on that false comfort and build denser communities that allow people to live, work and shop without driving to every destination.
The changes needed in towns, counties and the commonwealth, in one sense, aren't dramatic at all. They are retro, a return to the ways communities once did things.
The dramatic changes to come are personal. Americans must give up selfish convenience. They must get out of their cars and learn to live closer together.
Christian Trejbal is an editorial writer for The Roanoke Times based in the New River Valley bureau in Christiansburg.
