New State Climate Group to Meet Thursday

A new group charged with developing proposals for addressing climate change in North Carolina will hold its first meeting on Thursday, Feb. 16 in Raleigh. The gathering comes amid news that the world is at its warmest point in the past millennium.

The N.C. Climate Action Plan Advisory Group will convene at 10 a.m. at N.C. State's McKimmon Center at 1101 Gorman St. Organized by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources and its Division of Air Quality, CAPAG includes representatives from industry, environmental groups, government and academic institutions.

The group will complement the Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change that the N.C. General Assembly created last year. The legislative panel, which held its first meeting Feb. 3, will focus on broad issues, such as whether North Carolina should set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

CAPAG, on the other hand, will develop recommendations for specific actions to help reduce or prevent climate change. The recommendations will include measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and removing such gases from the atmosphere. The group will not debate the science of climate change.

CAPAG plans to work closely with the legislative commission, and the two groups will share some members. The nonprofit Center for Climate Strategies is assisting CAPAG, and the group is funded by DAQ along with grants from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and other private foundations.

The meeting is scheduled to last until 3 p.m., with an opportunity for the public to offer comments, ask questions and make statements at the end of the agenda. For more information about CAPAG, visit its Web site at www.www.ncclimatechange.us.