Will the Lewisburg bubble protect us from climate change?

Elaine Langone, Gallery Theater

There is abundant evidence that climate change is happening globally. Hurricanes are getting bigger, droughts are lasting longer, summer temperatures are breaking records, extreme floods are happening more frequently, and fires are scorching the planet. Here in the Susquehanna Valley, it is easy to feel insulated from these extreme weather changes and to believe they are only happening in other places. But is that true? If global warming pollutant emissions continue at current rates, temperatures in Pennsylvania are expected to rise by 5.4°F by 2050. How is climate change already affecting us here in the valley and what can we do about it? Must we change our way of life? Pennsylvania is the 3rd largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the United States, so changes we make here can make a big difference. The good news is that we already have sources of renewable energy poised to replace the fossil fuels that are causing global warming. Solar and wind energy technologies are now less expensive, cleaner, and just as reliable as fossil fuels. We will discuss how we are trying to change the conversation from “is it real?” to “how can we work together to solve this crisis?”.