The lungs of the Earth are burning. I grieve this catastrophe in the beautiful Amazon.
Like the Icelandic glacier the Herald cited in “So long, old ice” (Aug. 21), another piece of our paradise is suffering destruction, largely due to human abuse.
Forests currently fix almost 40% of man-made CO2, one cause of the Earth’s warming atmosphere, and they release oxygen. Destruction of our forests by fire and logging devastates the atmosphere and the planet.
Some contend proposed solutions to the climate crisis are too expensive and would have negative effects on the economy. An economy is the management of the resources of a community, with a view to its productivity. What resource is more crucial than the planet?
On July 29, humanity’s demand for Earth’s resources exceeded what the planet regenerates in a year. We are living beyond our means.
Citizens’ Climate Lobby endorses the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend act (H.R. 763) to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, foster a competitive energy market and benefit consumers. Fossil fuels dump waste (greenhouse gases) in the Earth’s atmosphere at no cost. H.R. 763 would charge producers a fee (not a tax) on greenhouse gas-emitting products at the point of origin (well, mine or refinery).
This fee would be distributed to U.S. households on a monthly basis unlike the unsuccessful French carbon tax you discussed.
Economists and climate scientists find this proposal the best first step to mitigate the climate crisis.
Andrew Zeiler
Bayfield
