More taxes, spending won’t affect climate change
“Future Disasters” (News, Dec. 3) is a good warning, but it is made under false pretense. More taxes and subsidies will have no effect on climate change; stopping the human population explosion might. A former vice president spoke in support of a one-child-per-family policy; however, public pressure made him retract that. Since then, there have been a multitude of new buildings, roads, utilities and conversions of wilderness into arable land to support a burgeoning human wave. People have spread into areas prone to flood, fire or avalanche. Our sense of invulnerability is laughable. Humanity is at a fork in the road: Manage the earth, or dominate it. So far, we have chosen the latter, and the earth will flex its muscles. So I will forward a headline suggestion for the coming disaster: “Catastrophe Surpassing Biblical Proportion!”
JOE LANIER, BROOKHAVEN
Thank you for outlining the costly effects of climate change in Georgia (“Future Disasters: Floods, hurricanes and fires: Georgia faces dire climate warnings,” News, Dec. 3). When faced with such a complex and potentially catastrophic issue, many people tend to freeze, thinking there is nothing they, as individuals, can do. In fact, there is plenty individuals can do, such as increasing their own energy conservation efforts, and using, and advocating for, public transport. But climate change is a national and global problem. In this context, the best thing to do is to call your political representatives and demand action, such as pricing carbon emissions at their source. Several organizations, such as the Citizen’s Climate Lobby, try to create the political will for climate change action. These groups are very friendly and make members feel they are no longer alone in trying to fight this serious issue.
DAVID GREENLAND, SANDY SPRINGS
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