Climate Change

To The Editor:

            The problem is real, caused by humans and potentially catastrophic. The impetus to act locally to address global issues stems from a community’s desire to build a better, healthier and more responsible community.

            In that effort, Marionites must consider endorsing on-site green energy systems: heat pumps, solar panels, wind turbines and geothermal energy or a combination thereof, to energize the new Department of Public Works and Marine Center buildings and the newly planned housing developments: The Cottages and Heron Cove.

            A green energy systems approach for all restorative and new construction would assist Marion’s no longer-fully functioning natural ecosystems from collapsing completely.

            Thinking locally, recovering and restoring a collapsing ecosystem that supported coastal fisheries requires stopping all flows of nutrients from fertilizers and sewage across large catchments—Aucoot Cove and Buzzards Bay—and stopping the use of fossil fuels.

            Thinking globally, each supercharged natural disaster produces ironic snapshots of a climate inhospitable to the industry most responsible for climate change—oil and gas. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey, a category 4 storm, dumped five feet of rain on Houston and produced upwards of 60 separate tornadoes during five days of horrific destruction.

            We know that allowing greenhouse gas emissions to rise year after year is transforming everything about our world: communities are drowning, wildfires are raging and our children will spend their lives fleeing from vicious storms, prolonged droughts, food shortages, fierce floods and catastrophic heat waves.

            Marionites do not have to do anything to bring about this bleak future. We just continue what we are doing—nothing.

            Or, we can make an inauspicious future less ominous by collectively insisting that new construction projects have complete and total on-site green-powered energy systems that exclude fossil fuels.

Eileen J. Marum, Marion

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

One Response to “Climate Change”

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  1. Chris Mesarch says:

    Great Statement

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