Terry McAuliffe lays out his refreshing support for the environment during his recent trip to Norfolk

Democratic Party candidate for Virginia governor, Terry McAuliffe, “unveiled” a number of environmental pledges during a campaign stop in Norfolk at a fresh-fish wholesaler, George’s Seafood.

According to McAuliffe, “We need to make sure we’re doing smart policies so that our watermen and fishermen can thrive and be prosperous.” But in the growing drama that is our planets increasing warming, America’s coastal cities, and their aquatic-based businesses, may not be around much longer for fishermen (and women) to “thrive” like this generation and previous generations have.

The science behind these stark conclusions are as rigorous as it gets, unlike the pseudo-science that allows 

McAuliffe’s gubernatorial opponent to stand atop the shores of ignorance while the waves build up around his dishonest rhetoric. Unfortunately, the science telling us that our coastal cities are in danger is all too real.

This is why Mr. McAuliffe visited Norfolk to deliver his “environmental platform,” because he understands what’s at stake if Virginia doesn’t get serious about treating the environment like we would one another as fellow human beings (i.e., with respect).

Among the many environmental policies McAuliffe has openly supported, here are a few:

- Continue the moratorium on uranium mining in Virginia;

- Direct the Department of Environmental Quality to work with localities and businesses to implement plans aimed at regulating the flow of pollutants into the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries;

- Create a climate change adaptation commission – a bipartisan group of scientists, policymakers, conservationists and industry representatives – to develop a comprehensive plan to protect coastal communities from rising sea levels;

- Oppose horizontal drilling in the George Washington National Forest;

- Preserve at least 400,000 acres of open space over four years; and

- Protect the land preservation tax credit, which offers tax write-offs for preserving Virginia’s agricultural, forested, historic and scenic open spaces.

Indeed, unless you are violently opposed to environmental health (and by extension, human health), Terry McAuliffe is the candidate for governor you should be rooting for this November. Unlike his opponent, McAuliffe believes the environment is something worth preserving, and with it, the opportunity for a truly prosperous life.