Brunswick Beacon, 12.19.24
September’s storm dropped 20 inches of rain, Brunswick County’s third 1,000-year rainfall disaster since Hurricanes Joaquin (2015) and Florence (2018). It caused one death, road closures, bridge washouts and flooding that destroyed homes and stranded drivers overnight along U.S. 17.
County commissioners appointed a task force to evaluate the problem. They should also consider joining Carrboro, NC’s lawsuit against Duke Energy for lying about climate change and making Brunswick County’s damages worse. A nonprofit organization is covering Carrboro’s legal fees.
Carrboro’s lawsuit says Duke learned about the risks of climate change in 1968, when executives were told that, by 2000, fossil fuels would raise atmospheric carbon dioxide by 25%, producing “major consequences on the climate—possibly even triggering catastrophic events.” Instead of addressing the problem, Duke misled the public, denied the existence of climate change and concealed its causes and consequences.
Duke’s deception convinced many. Witness Whitmel Swain’s Dec. 5 letter to the Beacon. Swain writes, “storms are not becoming more frequent or severe.” That ignores Brunswick County’s history, and findings like this from NASA, whose responsibilities include climate research: “As Earth’s climate changes, it is impacting extreme weather across the planet. Record-breaking heat waves on land and in the ocean, drenching rains, severe floods, years-long droughts, extreme wildfires, and widespread flooding during hurricanes are all becoming more frequent and more intense.”
Duke, one of the nation’s largest utilities, is its third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. Findenergy.com reports that Brunswick County uses non-renewable sources to produce 103.66 megawatt hours per citizen, making us the 4th highest county in NC for non-renewable generation per capita. Duke is Brunswick County’s largest electricity supplier.
We have been damaged by Duke’s deception, suffering death, disruption, destruction and extensive financial losses. Brunswick County’s insurance rates are skyrocketing because climate change threatens our region. Our county commissioners should follow Carrboro’s example and help constituents by holding Duke Energy accountable.
Kristine Garrity
Calabash
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