Poll: coal state Virginia sees global warming as 'very serious'

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onNov 4, 2008 @ 09:18 PST

A new poll released today by the University of Virginia finds the majority of Virginians believe that the earth is not only getting warmer but that global warming also constitutes a โ€œvery seriousโ€ย problem.

72 percent of Virginians, thought the government should take immediate action to deal with climateย change.

โ€œIt is a remarkable change. โ€ฆ I have not seen as issue like that move from the back of the line to the front of the line ever before,โ€ said Gov. Tim Kaineย (D).

Unfortunately, the concern reported in this poll belies reality. While the State government is beginning to implement measures to reduce Virginia’s greenhouse gas emissions, with 160 coal mining operationsย and 44% of the State’s electricity coming from coal there remains a lot more work to do before the concerns of Virginians areย met.ย 

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Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmog. He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a โ€œGreen Heroโ€ by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the โ€œTop 50 Tweetersโ€ on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning. Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevinโ€™s research into the โ€œclimate denial industryโ€ and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Kochโ€™s massive financial investments in the Republican and tea partyย networks. Kevin is the first person to be designated a โ€œCertified Expertโ€ on theย political and community organizing platformย NationBuilder. Prior to DeSmog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health. In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the worldโ€™s best e-Content and innovative ICTย applications. Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.

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