Georgia's path forward: Transforming climate crisis into opportunity with renewable energy growth - wgxa.tv

Georgia's path forward: Transforming climate crisis into opportunity with renewable energy growth | WGXA

MACON, Ga. (WGXA) -- Every few years, the federal government engages many experts across the country in the development of a national climate assessment to determine where we stand with climate change. This new assessment shows climate change is no longer a thing of the future but it’s here, today. However it’s also showing that there’s a path forward, with solutions in reach.

“It’s very easy to look at climate change, the climate crisis, and feel this sense of doom and despair. I think folks in Georgia recognize that there’s risk out there but there’s also opportunity." said by Ali Zaidi, The National Climate Advisor for President Biden, and he says Georgia has become a new path forward, paving the way for a brighter future with growing carbon dioxide emissions. Shifting our economies to renewable energy to solar panels and electric cars.

“In Dalton, GA where it used to be the sofa capital of the world, they’re now manufacturing solar panels and leading the world. In Savannah, GA you’ve got up and running electric vehicle manufacturing going on. Across the state, people are making batteries and components that go into these clean energy solutions and that’s putting a whole lot of people to work with good paying jobs,” said Zaidi.

On a larger scope, national emissions have been declining although, carbon dioxide is at its highest concentration in recorded history. The biggest contributors being transportation, electricity, and industrial processes according to Climate Central. But Zaidi says,

“You don’t have to just look at that and think that’s inevitable, there’s nothing we can do about it. But now we can look at that crisis and see in it embedded an opportunity to take action.” said Zaidi.

An action from the largest investment into going green from the Biden administration, a deeper analysis of community-based models, and the fingerprints of climate change under a microscope, the assessment means you are in a better position despite record hurricanes, heat events, droughts and more.

“And we’re seeing those tools show up with greater frequency, accessibility, and affordability in communities all across the country and by the way, its creating good paying jobs in those communities as well,” said Zaidi.

So there is a path forward for Americans and Georgian in this changing world.