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Duck hunting and solar? Huh? Sure, these two things don’t typically go together. But here’s the quick and dirty connection: Solar impacts climate change and climate change impacts duck hunting. So, climate change is the big connector.
First, let’s start with community solar and climate change. Community solar by definition is the means of receiving nearly 100% of your household electricity usage from solar energy—WITHOUT having to install any solar panels on your roof or anywhere on your property. With community solar, you still get your electricity from your utility company. The only difference is that you “subscribe” to a block of solar panels located in your local utility service area, and the solar energy that is produced by your block of panels is delivered to your utility company, which then gets delivered to you. And you don’t even pay a premium fee! So why does this matter for climate change? Because every household that subscribes to community solar is the equivalent to one less household getting energy from dirty coal and oil companies. This is something real that Marylanders can do in a matter of minutes to make a difference. Learn more about community solar by clicking here.
So what about duck hunting and climate change? Well, unfortunately, climate change is impacting A LOT of things—everything from the air we breathe to the land we walk on. And in the case of waterfowl, climate change is severely impacting their breeding grounds, migration routes, and food sources. According to Ducks Unlimited, “coastal marshes on wintering grounds such as the…Chesapeake bay could be inundated by rising sea levels, significantly reducing their capacity to support waterfowl.” Rising sea levels as a result of climate change is just one of the stressors on the bay’s waterfowl. Others include changing climate patterns, which affect the birds’ migration patterns and locations for breeding grounds. This means that fewer ducks reach the bay. Also, the more intense and frequent storms and floods that come as a result of climate change will increase the polluted runoff that enters the Chesapeake Bay. This reduces water quality and the waterfowls’ food sources.
Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to hear how one, seemingly unrelated issue can have such a large impact on the activities and places we love. But that doesn’t mean all hope is lost, not by a long shot. There’s a lot each of us can do to help combat climate change – from biking to work to using energy-efficient appliances. One of the biggest things you can do is to choose solar to help reduce the impacts of climate change. You can join your neighbors, and choose community solar to help keep our beloved bay and all her beautiful birds.
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