Brrr.
“Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!” said our president as the country was gripped by a deep freeze.
Well, no.
A cold snap does not negate the fact that the Earth’s temperature has been steadily rising.
And the president’s mocking of mankind’s contribution to climate change through increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases only shows his ignorance.
President Trump also grossly exaggerates the cost — “trillions of dollars” — of what the United States, through the Clean Power Plan, had committed to spending to keep on track of reducing emissions by 26-28 percent. Experts say changes required to the coal and natural gas industries to produce cleaner electricity would have cost a few billion, not trillions, of dollars, and that the results of cleaner air would be immediate and in the long term reduce climate damage.
Such action requires thinking about the future, not the immediate benefits of padding the pockets of big business.
The primary reason Iola’s Lehigh Cement closed in 1970 was because its Pennsylvania-based owner balked when the federal government demanded pollution controls. Those were the days we cleaned our windows with muriatic acid, the cement dust, which fell indiscriminately, was so thick with particulates.
PER TRADITION the New Year is a time for making resolutions to live in a more healthy and enlightened manner. Shouldn’t we do the same for our country?
As Americans, we should take it upon ourselves to learn about climate change and the trajectory we are on if we do not change course.
For as long as any of us can remember the United States has been regarded as a leader of the world because our lodestar has been peace and prosperity for all. Those principles have guided us to negotiate peace treaties and trade pacts, fight terrorism, and, yes, sign climate accords.
And though our president and his administration may refuse to acknowledge the damages incurred by global warming, that does not, cannot, mean the rest us should remain silent.
— Susan Lynn
