Coastal Georgia Climate Action Campaign, 2022

Since 1997 the Center for a Sustainable Coast has helped protect coastal Georgia's environment and quality of life by (1) raising public awareness about critical issues affecting coastal communities, (2) collaborating in advocating positions on proposed projects, policies, and legislative actions, and (3) as justified, taking legal action to ensure proper enforcement of environmental regulations. For more, see the Center's webpage. 

Over the past 15 years, our work has shifted toward climate-change issues due to the rapidly developing threats of flooding, storm surge, shoreline erosion, and accumulating damage to marine ecosystems and species of vital interest to coastal Georgia's economy and quality of life. We have published hundreds of letters and opinion columns in state and local newspapers directly addressing the urgency of the worsening climate crisis. In the Savannah area the Center hosted a series of public forums on climate-related issues, and in 2020 we collaborated in efforts that culminated in the City of Savannah adopting a commitment to reach clean-energy goals that will decisively curb greenhouse gases.

Reducing the damage caused by global warming requires urgently needed legislative controls that are long overdue, as well as electing public officials who can be counted on to take appropriate action on climate issues. Needed legislation includes measures that will create added incentives for installing clean energy systems as well as eliminating subsidies for fossil fuels so that heat-trapping greenhouse-gas emissions will be substantially reduced. Reconfiguring state energy policy will also be essential to maximizing the capacity, resiliency, and efficiency of clean-energy power networks.

We are seeking a grant of $25,000 [supplemented by $5,000 in matching funds] to cover the costs of creating a coastal Georgia climate action advocacy network and hosting a public forum that will outline the primary issues, propose needed legislative provisions, and build political support for climate-change action in Georgia by preparing voters to make informed choices in the upcoming election in November.

Phasing out the use of fossil fuels is critical to preventing catastrophic climate change.

But time is quickly running out to enable timely actions that are essential to curtailing the worst climate change impacts. Decisions made in the next several years will be of vital importance in achieving successful outcomes by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions that are causing these harmful trends. This work will be pivotal to empowering coastal Georgia voters and citizens to participate in political actions that seek to decisively improve the future of our region and state.

Environmental justice issues are also relevant to this work, since low-income areas are disproportionately vulnerable to the adverse effects of higher temperatures and extreme weather events. Although climate action is important to all demographic groups, the economically disadvantaged are at greater risk. 

By donating to our Mighty Cause matching fund, concerned Georgia voters and coastal residents can help the Center secure a grant that will enable us to advance policies that are critically needed to confront climate change in the General Assembly and Congress. The matching fund will leverage at least five times more additional funding for the whole project, which will have a total budget estimated at $30,000.