Guest Opinion: Clean Energy Jobs: a no-regrets solution

Column by Alan Journet in Medford Mail Tribune, October 29, 2017

No-regrets and win-win solutions rarely come our way, but in the Clean Energy Jobs Bill, Oregon has a chance to hit that sweet spot. The next Southern Oregon Climate Action Now meeting, at 6 p.m Tuesday, Oct. 31 at the Medford Public Library, is devoted to the bill and the campaign. Anyone interested in learning more, or promoting its passage, is invited to attend.

Most Southern Oregonians know our temperature has been climbing for many decades, bringing us early snowmelt and heat waves. Less obvious is the transition from high-elevation snowfall to lower-elevation rainfall, inducing reduced snowpack and water shortages during summer and fall. Additionally, rainfall is occurring more often as heavy downpours than as light, soil-replenishing drizzle. Together with reducing soil moisture, these patterns stimulate wildfire risk. Furthermore, these trends will only become more severe unless we address their root cause: global warming induced by climate pollution.

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