CLIMATE ACTION PLAN GROUP TO HOLD INITIAL MEETING

RALEIGH - A planning group aimed at developing proposals for dealing with global climate change in North Carolina will hold its first meeting on Thursday, February 16, in Raleigh.

The N.C. Climate Action Plan Advisory Group (CAPAG) will meet at 10 a.m. February 16, at the McKimmon Center, N.C. State University, 1101 Gorman St., Raleigh.

Global climate change refers to changes in temperatures, climate, sea levels and other environmental factors due to emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases and particles.

The group will complement the Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change that the N.C. General Assembly established in 2005. The legislative panel, which held its first meeting on February 3, will focus mainly on broader issues, such as whether North Carolina should set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In contrast, CAPAG's purpose is to develop recommendations for specific actions to help reduce or prevent climate change. The recommendations will include measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and sequestering or removing such gases from the atmosphere. The group will not discuss or debate the science of climate change.

CAPAG plans to work closely with the legislative commission, with frequent updates on its progress and recommendations. The two groups also will share some common members.

The Division of Air Quality, Department of Environment and Natural Resources will manage CAPAG, with about 40 members representing a broad range of stakeholders including industry, environmental groups, government agencies, academic institutions, agriculture, forestry, coastal interests, real estate, tourism, banking, insurance and other businesses.

CAPAG also is being assisted by the Center for Climate Strategies (www.climatestrategies.us), a nonprofit organization. The effort is being funded by DAQ as well as grants from Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and other private foundations.

Scientific measurements have documented a substantial increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere since the mid-1800s. CO2 and other greenhouse gases, such as water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, black carbon and other compounds, can trap heat in the atmosphere by reflecting radiated heat back toward the Earth. Even small increases in temperatures could cause major changes, including the melting of polar icecaps, rising sea levels, flooding of coastal lands, changes in ocean currents, and more frequent and stronger hurricanes and other storms.

More information about CAPAG can be found at its web site, www.ncclimatechange.us. The Division of Air Quality has further information about climate change and other air quality issues at its web site, www.ncair.org, including its September 2005 recommendations to the legislature reducing greenhouse gases and related reports.

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