Opinion: Local leadership in a warming world. ‘Everyone is needed’

In the closing of “The Climate Book,” youth climate leader Greta Thunberg writes, “Everyone is needed ... no matter where you live” to respond to the climate challenge. She finishes by saying, “Simply: tell it like it is.”

Here it is.

Twelve local governments in central Pennsylvania are nearing an exciting decision on solar energy. Four years ago, the Centre Region Council of Governments (COG), the municipalities making up the COG, multiple authorities including the State College Borough Water Authority, Centre County government and the State College Area School District decided to explore pooling our electricity into a secure, long-term, low-price electricity contract for solar power.

In the next couple months, we will have the chance to vote “yes.” It will be the right thing to do for the climate, for taxpayers, and for our kids.

Over the last century, humans have dangerously amplified the greenhouse effect by burning fossil fuels to power homes, business and industry. We have wrapped the Earth in a thicker blanket of greenhouse gases, raising average temperatures by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Last year was the hottest on record in a string of record-breaking years in a string or record-breaking decades. These higher temperatures are unprecedented in human history and rising much faster than anything our planet has seen for millions of years.

Heat is already hurting Pennsylvanians. It has driven more violent hurricanes and storms through Bucks County, the Lehigh Valley and Centre County. Record heat has closed Philadelphia schools and threatened the health of older people aging in place all over the commonwealth. More heat has reduced cold weather that checked pests and invasive species, giving rise to more ticks and more Lyme disease, more problems for crops and trees. The National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) estimates the costs of climate and weather disasters at $165 billion for 2022, part of a rising decades-long trend.

To slow and reverse this warming, we must draw down emissions. As the 2023 climate talks made clear, we must “transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner.” As Thunberg says, “Everyone is needed.” This requires all organizations — including local governments — to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy. Our project will generate 29,000,000 kilowatt hours of carbon-free electricity per year, the equivalent of powering over 3,900 homes. It helps prevent future climate risks.

Over the last 10 years, the price of solar power has come down significantly. The cost is competitive and often beats the dirty grid. That is true for us. We will pay less than $.05 a kilowatt hour, beating current rates and crushing prices seen in the last two years. The fixed price over the next 15 years will provide budgetary certainty, shielding us from price volatility. If you could lock in a health insurance rate like this, you would.

Getting to this point has taken more work than a typical local government electricity contract. Our project management team of finance directors, purchasing directors, management, elected and appointed officials — some with backgrounds in renewable energy — and a stellar energy services consultant have spent thousands of collective hours asking and answering questions. We have translated technicalities, waded through contracts, and negotiated. Spotting, naming, and dealing with issues has enabled us to neutralize risks, exactly what government should do. The $175,000 of total costs we will pay for all of this over 4 1/2 years will be worth it. Personally, I could not be more grateful to work with such an incredible team.