BRATTLEBORO — Recently, I had the pleasure of riding my bicycle through Brattleboro. Cycling is my primary mode of transportation and I ride 12 months of the year, through cold, snow, freezing rain, and sunshine alike.
What made this particular ride stand out is that it took place in early February, on a 60-degree, sunny day.
Rather than my normal winter riding gear of ski helmet, goggles, down coat, Gore-Tex pants and balaclava, I was wearing nothing more than a flannel shirt and jeans. It was exhilarating and delightful to feel the wind in my hair and the sunshine on my face.
However, it was not lost on me that less than a week before, the high temperature had been in the single digits and frostbite mitigation was my primary concern when stepping onto my bicycle.
These unusual weather patterns are increasingly the norm for us in New England, and my outdoor cycling lifestyle is a visceral reminder of the gravity of climate change on our local community.
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Like many in my community, I've felt a mixture of relief and excitement over the recent Green New Deal proposed in Congress by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
In a time when the news about climate change coming out of Washington is increasingly frightening, my nerves are buoyed by a young, exciting politician thinking outside the box and trying to implement legislation that will make our world a better place. At face value, it appears a holistic, expansive, and forward-thinking approach that provides concrete solutions to real problems.
Ocasio-Cortez's natural allies are here in Vermont. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and environmental activist Bill McKibben both support the Green New Deal and have spoken at length about Vermont's ability to rely on renewable energy sources to provide for our small state.
The New York Times reported that the plan “includes a 10-year commitment to convert '100 percent of the power demand in the United States' to 'clean, renewable and zero-emission energy sources,' to upgrade 'all existing buildings' to meet energy efficiency requirements, and to expand high-speed rail so broadly that most air travel would be rendered obsolete.”
Like Sanders and McKibben, we in Vermont like to think of ourselves as progressive and reverent of our natural environment.
It turns out that we are quite far from being the example to help lead the country.
According to the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, our greenhouse gas emissions have risen 16 percent, more than twice the national average.
This is a far cry from the 50-percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2028 that our state Legislature promised back in 2005.
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While it's clear we need to find more renewable-energy sources, that alone won't solve the problem. We need to do even more to increase energy efficiency and transportation in our state to help get us back on track.
It's past time to demand that our state and local representatives do all they can to put Vermont on the forefront of leading our country in combating climate change.
We need bold ideas and strong leadership to push a progressive climate agenda forward and to hold our state accountable for making the necessary changes.
Let us be the leaders in helping the Green New Deal deliver in its promise.