Date: 8/25/2021
I appreciate Mr. Dobbs’ opinion in last week’s Reminder reflecting on climate change’s current and potential future impacts. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s most recent report struck closer to home this time; for rather than vague threats of melting ice caps, we are experiencing its effects right here in Massachusetts and in our neighboring states.
Late winter heat waves, volatile temperature swings, flooding, unsafe air quality – the seasonal norms I grew up with are becoming unrecognizable. As a small farm owner, this volatility can wreak havoc with my business, and I hear other local farmers saying the same.
It is going to take system-wide changes to reverse the system-wide forces that have kept us dependent on fossil fuel use. More and more experts, government leaders, and business entities see the need to place a price on carbon, to tie the cost of greenhouse gas emissions to their sources and drive the market towards clean energy sources. There are several bills in Congress – some with bipartisan sponsorship – seeking carbon pricing. And this year the U.S. Chamber of Commerce stated its position on climate change, saying it supports “well-designed market mechanisms that are transparent and not distorted by overlapping regulations.” (uschamber.com/climate-change-position) I encourage anyone with interest to voice their support to their representatives for stronger action on climate change.
Kerisa Fitzgerald
East Longmeadow
