At the instigation of Supervisor Denise Rushing, on Aug. 28 a supermajority of the Lake County Board of Supervisors voted to enroll in the Cool Counties initiative against global warming. They thereby pledged to analyze the effects that catastrophic climate change will have on our community and to devise both corrective and protective responses, to reduce our own greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by the year 2050, and to urge the federal government to adopt similar policies leading to the same objective.

Four board members voted in the affirmative – Rushing, Robey, Farrington and Smith – all of whom seemed to be so well versed on the issue that persuasion was superfluous. The most striking remarks came from Board Chair Jeff Smith, who admitted to an original assumption that global warming was just the latest example of media hype, but went on to say that his doubts had been vanquished after his wife brought the alarming reduction of polar bear habitat to his attention, and that he no longer questioned the scope and immediacy of this worldwide threat, or the necessity for a proactive stance from all levels of government.

Unfortunately neither the arguments of his colleagues nor those presented by members of the public appeared to carry much weight with District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown. Although his objection to participation in the Cool Counties initiative seemed to be largely based on the fallacious ideas that Alameda County was trying to impose its will on rural California and that signing on would be a merely symbolic "feel good" gesture, he nonetheless took the opportunity for a completely egregious swipe at former Vice President Al Gore, comparing him to self-confessed dog-fighter Michael Vick. After that, Brown's "no" vote seemed almost beside the point – though one that District 5 voters might well remember when he comes up for reelection next year.

The nationwide Cool Counties campaign has been up and running for barely more than a month, and no list of subscribing entities seems to be available, although more than 600 municipalities have signed onto the corollary Cool Cities initiative during the past two years.

But aside from Alameda County, which was among the eight large urban "founding members," Lake County appears to be the first participant in California. If so, our primacy is especially appropriate since in many respects Lake County – with our abundance of unspoiled habitat and the cleanest air in

California – is already in the Cool Green lead, and county government has already begun to take many positive steps to conserve energy, reduce polluting emissions, and set us on the path to a sustainable future.

Please take a moment to give your supervisor a call at 263-2368 to say "well done!" – unless you live in District 5, in which case an inquiry about the whereabouts of the particular sand dune where Supervisor Brown lays his head these days might be appropriate.

Victoria Brandon is chair of the Sierra Club Lake Group. She lives in Lower Lake.

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