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II.  introduction

climate context

The scientific consensus is clear: we are in a climate emergency. Our livelihoods, health, and ecosystems are at risk of deterioration. In 2018, the IPCC asserted that preventing catastrophic warming requires “rapid and far-reaching transitions” in all sectors, and that this decade will decide our climate future. A year ago, 11,000 scientists from over 150 countries signed an article in BioScience warning about the climate emergency. And last November, leading Earth systems scientists concluded that we are fast approaching a cascade of tipping points that will cause abrupt and irreversible climate disruption.

feedback loops & tipping points

The urgency of Climate Action becomes clear when we understand that what we do in the next few years will greatly influence the climate of the next few hundred years. Consider the Amazon rainforest, often referred to as the lungs of the Earth due to its carbon sequestration services, a hub of biodiversity, and the source of home and livelihood for millions of humans. Year after year, as the dry season of the Amazon is extended, we are seeing slow and gradual change. However, it is predicted that at a certain point where the dry season is extended just enough, 80% of the rainforest will rapidly and irreversibly die-off. This is a tipping point. Now, with the lungs of the earth decimated, we no longer have thousands of plants and animals sequestering and storing carbon and other GHGs. The GHGs released in the atmosphere exacerbate climate change, further extending the dry season, and leading to even more die-off of the Amazon. This is a feedback loop. Many of Earth's feedback loops and tipping points are already set in motion. By acting with urgency--i.e., treating this as the emergency that it truly is instead of living in denial--we can prevent the worst of it.

global impacts & threats

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change, is composed of 195 member states and thousands of expert scientists. Their work informs us that because of feedback loops and tipping points, our window of opportunity to prevent catastrophic levels of warming will close by 2030. While some climate destruction is unavoidable at this point due to current levels of GHGs, it is essential that we prevent this worst case scenario by breaking with

business-as-usual.

 

Some of the most notable threats that climate change poses to different regions of our world include: an increase in extreme weather events such as droughts, heat waves, wildfires, hurricanes, heavy downpours, and floods; sea level rise; ocean acidification; and species and ecosystem loss. With each change in the climate, it is crucial to remember that there are associated risks to human health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security, and economic well being.

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These impacts have enormous economic consequences. A 2020 report from Swiss Re tells us that 55% of global GDP, about $42 trillion, depends on high-functioning biodiversity. This does not even account for the economic costs of damage to infrastructure, human health, and private property. 

impacts & threats to North Carolina

A June 2018 report by the NC Department of Environmental Quality details the specific effects of projected climate change in North Carolina. Here is a summary of their findings:

 

Temperature: It is very likely that warmer nights will increase in frequency, reducing relief from the heat of the day and increasing heat-related stress on public health; households and people who lack access to sufficient cooling will be most vulnerable. Health-related problems due to heat stress such as respiratory issues will increase, young people, people of low socioeconomic status, and the elderly are especially vulnerable. Extreme heat events will also become more frequent, longer lasting, and more intense, exacerbating demands for water and putting stress on agricultural crops that depend on nighttime cooling 

 

Drought: An increase in intense droughts is likely to stress the agriculture sector, causing widespread economic damages. Drought induced water shortages also increase the likelihood of wildfires and other ecological degradation.

 

Heavy Precipitation:  It is likely that we will see an increase in heavy downpours, along with hurricanes and increasing inland flooding. These risks threaten energy infrastructure and damage public and private structures such as homes, roads, and utility services. Low-income populations are much more vulnerable to flooding, as they are more likely to be located in hazard-prone locations, have difficulty evacuating, receive slower and less effective emergency assistance, and are often unable to recover from damages.

 

Wildfires: Higher temperatures and drought create ideal wildfire conditions. These fires endanger residents, businesses, infrastructure, the forestry industry, and agricultural assets. Fires can also be deadly and cause long lasting health effects such as asthma by impacting air quality.

 

Coastal Flooding and Erosion: As sea levels rise and coastal flooding become more common, we risk our cultural resources, limit and destroy available land for habitation and industry, and impact our coastal ecosystems, fisheries, shorelines, wetlands - all of which are vital to North Carolina's economy and the wellbeing of the climate.

 

Hurricanes: It is also likely that hurricanes will increase in frequency, causing greater damage to people, communities, economy, and natural resources. As we witness communities attempt to recover from the impacts of previous hurricanes, we see how difficult it is for low-income communities to recover, a dynamic that will only be exacerbated by hurricanes occurring in greater succession. 

 

Inland Flooding: An increase in inland flooding will lead to economic damage and loss in agriculture. Cultural resources, fisheries, housing, and ecosystems are also threatened by increased flooding. 

 

Ecosystem and Habitat Loss: Damages to North Carolina’s ecosystems such as increased algal blooms will be detrimental to the health and economic wellbeing of our state. Algal blooms will lead to a loss of oysters, clams, and other organisms impacted by ocean acidification which will take a heavy toll on commercial and recreational fisheries and impact water quality in the region.

 

Saltwater Intrusion: Higher sea levels mean that our state will lose valuable industrial, private, and agricultural lands due to the intrusion of saltwater intrusion on drinking water sources and farmland.

 

Public Health: Cumulative hazards from heat and flooding harm human health through poor air quality, flooding injuries, heat-related illness, decreased mental health, and increased infectious diseases. Climate Change will exacerbate existing inequities in public health as it disproportionately harms older adults, children, low-income earners, POC, and veterans. Extreme weather will also put more stress on emergency management, public services and institutions, and will require more resources to address impacts, all of which point to an inability to truly adapt to these impacts.

impacts & threats to Environmental Justice in North Carolina

In addition to the negative effects of a changing climate, the processes of extraction, waste disposal, and exploitation that cause climate change are problematic in themselves. These issues are especially problematic for marginalized and vulnerable communities, as they often lack the political power and representation to be adequately protected, highlighting the ways in which Climate Action must also be informed by racial and rural justice. The NC Environmental Justice Network summarizes some of these issues, based on member experience and scientific research. These provide some good examples of environmental injustice, but we must remember that many of the harms and impacts of our normal operations are externalized across the nation and across the world.

 

Pipelines: Subject to rupture, leaking, and terrorism, pipelines threaten surrounding communities. Additionally, natural resources, property values, and farmland are destroyed during the construction of pipelines. 

 

In NC, the construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline was proposed to be constructed along the I-95 corridor in eastern NC and the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate through parts of Rockingham and Alamance Counties. These pipelines cut across important water systems, putting communities’ drinking water and ecosystems at risk. The I-95 corridor is already impacted by hog waste and coal ash contamination, creating a region that is highly vulnerable to contamination and health issues. This area is also home to a large indigenous and black population and Robeson County, the most ethnically diverse, rural county in the country, sits on the pipeline route. It’s also the home of the Lumbee Tribe and the University of NC at Pembroke, a university that has historically served indigenous students.

 

Fracking: Fracking is the hydraulic fracturing of underground rock layers by a process in which water is mixed with sand and chemicals and injected at high pressure into a well for access to natural gas. Fracking has become a highly controversial issue because of poor regulations, lack of scientific research on the environmental impacts, and because of the speed at which fracking policies have been passed through legislative hands. Many communities and families in rural areas are exposed to the adverse effects of fracking; contaminated groundwater, depleted sources of freshwater, impaired air quality. Communities of color are more likely to have fracking leases in their neighborhoods, exposing them to noise pollution, constant light and social disruption, as well as water and air quality problems. 

 

Preferentially selecting communities of color and low wealth for fracking operations puts an undue burden of exposure and adverse health outcomes on vulnerable groups, prioritizing corporate profit over the health of North Carolinians. Those who benefit from fracking are very far removed from the communities of color and low wealth that will be most negatively impacted by this industry.

 

Coal Ash: Coal ash is the waste that is left when power plants and other industries burn coal. Coal ash contains toxic heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead, mercury, and selenium, among others. Coal ash is often stored near waterways like rivers, exposing groundwater and aquifers to contamination. These impoundments discharge millions of gallons of contaminated wastewater in streams and rivers. In dust form, the carcinogenic waste can also blow onto neighboring land carrying contaminants into the water table and into neighborhoods and cropfields. 

 

According to the US EPA, approximately 900 coal ash lagoons pose disproportionate threats to low income communities and communities of color in NC and throughout the US. Nearly 80,000 North Carolinians live within 2 miles of a coal ash dump. Children are more susceptible to the health impacts of coal ash, like developmental disabilities and asthma. In the US, 1.5 million children live near coal ash dumps, almost 20,000 of those children are in NC. People of color make up another 20,000 living near coal ash dumps. Across the US, 70% of all coal ash dumps are located in low-income communities, where citizens are already impacted by voting rights and a decreased access to education and healthcare.

 

Landfills: There are over 1000 landfills, active and closed, in NC. Communities situated near landfills suffer from groundwater contamination and soil contamination, even when landfills are lined. The chemicals and toxins pollute drinking water, trash trucks damage roadways, spread contaminants, and create noise pollution. Noxious odors and toxic gases, including methane and CO2, are also released by landfills. These sites also attract pests that spread infectious disease. 

 

Landfills are disproportionately located in or near low-income communities and communities of color. And while property value, political power, and health are damaged, wealth is accumulated by waste management executives.

 

CAFOs: As the second largest pork producer in the United States, the hog industry has been and is still an integral component of North Carolina’s economy. Before the industrialization of the hog industry, most North Carolina producers raised small numbers of hogs, typically fewer than 25, on diversified farms where hogs were one of several crops or products. Over the last 3 decades, however, the industry has undergone a major shift. Though the number of producers in the state has declined, the hog population has increased substantially from about 2 million in 1982 to 10 million in 2006. 

 

Hogs confined in CAFO’s (Confined Animal Feed Operations) emit toxic gases and are predominantly concentrated in low-income communities and communities of color of the state’s Eastern Coastal plain, where corporations are lured by pro-business tax incentives, lax environmental regulations, minimal oversight, and encounter little push back from community residents.These areas typically have sandy soils and shallow aquifers, making them vulnerable to flooding.  While smaller diversified farms have traditionally and sustainably used animal waste as crop fertilizer, large-scale CAFOs produce high concentrations of massive amounts of waste.

 

This waste is often stored in large pits and later sprayed on neighboring fields. The pervasive odor and airborne irritants produced by these practices causes serious problems for neighbors of confinement operations. Both the sheds and the practice of spraying concentrated waste release hazardous gases into the general environment, polluting the air, spreading odor, and causing respiratory illness. 

 

Hog waste consists of a number of chemicals that are hazardous to human health, including ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, methane, antibiotic residues and pathogenic bacteria.  While it is hard to link any single one of these compounds to a specific disease or health concern, studies have consistently linked the mixture of compounds produced by industrial hog operations to respiratory illness and disease.

 

Stored hog waste often leaches into the groundwater, contaminating the local water supply with nitrates, disease-causing bacteria, and hormones and antibiotics from fortified feed. This is a particular concern in communities who use private wells to supply their water. Additionally, runoff from confinement facilities adds excessive amounts of ammonium, nitrates, and phosphorus to downstream bodies of water, producing algae blooms that damage coastal ecosystems and release large quantities of GHGs into the atmosphere. 

 

Overflow is also a concern, particularly in the low-lying and hurricane-prone counties of southeastern North Carolina. These concerns became a reality in 1995 when an 8 acre lagoon in Onslow County ruptured, spilling 22 million gallons of untreated waste into the New River. Other spills followed later that summer and in 1999, torrential rains from Hurricane Floyd caused a number of lagoons to overflow, creating a 350-mile dead zone awash with thousands of dead hogs and 25 million gallons of their waste.

 

Living near CAFOs affects mental as well as physical health. Neighbors to confinement operations have reported greater depression and anxiety, sleep disorders, and higher stress levels. 

 

 Proponents of the industry claim that corporate hog operations create jobs and promote local economic growth, but studies dating back to the 1940s indicate otherwise. Industrial agricultural practices such as factory farming have been linked to local and regional economic decline across the United States.

Appalachian's current trajectory 

The sustainability monitoring organization Second Nature shows 57 Universities in the U.S. that are committed to be carbon neutral by 2025, and 9 Universities that are already carbon neutral

 

Despite this, Appalachian’s leadership has failed to support the kind of emergency mobilization that an understanding of the evidence requires. Appalachian’s approach also fails to model the sustainability leadership that our institution’s mission, history and reputation demand. The recommendations and ideas provided by the Office of Sustainability that attempt to address the Climate Emergency fall entirely short. Appalachian continues to highlight technical changes and student behavioral changes, limiting themselves  As we continue to view 2050 as a viable goal for neutrality, Appalachian sets itself up to fall short of scientific demands, planetary needs, and what is required to create a safe and healthy community.

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