North Carolina hosts uniquely beautiful and fragile ecosystems. From the shape-shifting Outer Banks to our rugged mountains, climate change is affecting every part of the state and its people.
To address climate change, we must transition away from fossil fuels and to a clean energy economy. The NC Sierra Club advocates for policies that help communities in North Carolina do just that, while preparing for and mitigating the damage that our changing climate is causing.
- Renewable energy: North Carolina has been a leading state in solar development, but we've fallen behind. We must regain ground not for bragging rights, but because it's right for our people, our workforce, and our industries to embrace solar and wind energy development. We support policies that help individuals and businesses go solar, such as community solar, solar leasing and rooftop solar rebates. We encourage development of on- and offshore wind, which will help create jobs and support local governments through property taxes and landowner subsidies. We partner with the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign in our state to help shut down uneconomical and polluting coal plants.
- Clean Transportation: Transportation emissions are the top contributor to climate change in the United States. We must cut auto emissions and vehicle miles traveled, improve our transit infrastructure, and move away from fossil-fuel powered vehicles. The NC Sierra Club supports investments in clean transportation from bike lanes to electric school buses and other great ideas that will make North Carolina the "Green Roads State."