MORGANTOWN, W.Va. Delegate Evan Hansen is back from his trip to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai and is hopeful the world community will take steps for what President Joe Biden calls “an opportunity for the nation to come together and do some really big things.”
Hansen attended the conference with leaders from the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs and participated in panel discussions with local elected Chinese leaders and non-profits.
“There are going to be impacts on people and communities, and potentially, if we don’t do it right, on the grid,” Hansen said. “So, definitely, that’s potential, but there are huge opportunities at the same time that we need to take advantage of.”
Hansen said the groups face some of the same challenges, both being coal-burning countries, in reducing their reliance on coal economically and as a source of energy. Hansen said the two countries are working on an initiative to reduce methane emissions. One of the important agreements reached was on methane.
“We are working on reducing methane emissions because methane is important,” Hansen said. “Not just carbon dioxide, but methane is also an important greenhouse gas that progress could be made on quickly.”
Some of the accomplishments Hansen was able to share with the Chinese included the Nucor Steel facility being built in Mason County. The facility is designed to have one of the lowest carbon footprints of any sheet steel mill in the world while creating 800 full-time jobs with an average wage of $133,000 annually.
“Projects like the Precision Castparts Renewable Micro-Grid in West Virginia that is producing aerospace parts that are zero carbon,” Hansen said.
During the previous two legislative sessions, Hansen introduced a Community Solar Bill that enables people to receive solar-generated power without installing their own systems. Experts say the program gives low- to moderate-income families the opportunity to use renewable electricity. Hansen said developers are ready to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to install the systems statewide.
“People who sign up will save money on their electricity immediately upon signing up,” Hansen said. “So, Community Solar will also help people that are suffering through rate increases after rate increases.”
Hansen said addressing climate change is a moral imperative and the United States should take the lead. Wealthy countries in the developed world that are reducing carbon emissions, but have a high rate of carbon emissions per person will likely pay the majority of the cost.
“The best example of that are small island nations that are already seeing the impacts of rising sea levels but emit very little carbon,” Hansen said. “They have very little responsibility for climate change but are seeing the impacts pretty starkly.”
Hansen said he hopes to attend the conference again next year.