Fairfax County took at least a symbolic step toward making protecting the environment and addressing climate change a priority when the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a board matter recommending possible actions that the county can take to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
“Based on recent scientific reports, I believe it is crucial that we act expeditiously and urgently if we are to begin to stem the growth of greenhouse gases which are dramatically altering our environment…and the people, places and property in our communities,” Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck said.
Stock presented the joint board matter with Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay and Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust.
A report released by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in October found that humans’ global carbon dioxide emissions would have to fall 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030 and reach net zero around 2050 in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
With their “Fairfax Green Initiatives” board matter, Storck, McKay, and Foust recommended that Fairfax County develop a communitywide energy and climate action plan as well as a county-specific climate resiliency and adaptation plan.