Don Gaede - Aug Sep 2022 -National Association of Evangelicals -

San Luis Obispo Tribune

August-September 2022 

I was pleased to read a recent report from the National Association of Evangelicals regarding climate change. The report talks about the Biblical basis for protecting our earth and our climate: “The Bible does not tell us anything directly about how to evaluate scientific reports … but it does give several helpful principles: Care for creation, love our neighbors and witness to the world.”

This is similar to what evangelical Christian and climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe has said: “For Christians, doing something about climate change is about living out our faith - caring for those who need help, our neighbors here at home or on the other side of the world, and taking responsibility for this planet that God created and entrusted to us.”

With record heat in the West, catastrophic flooding in Pakistan, and extreme drought in Europe, our climate is in desperate need of help from all quarters. This includes assistance from our important evangelical Christian communities. I welcome their support.

 Don Gaede

Andrea Farber De Zubiria - 8-7-2022 - Consider Climate When Voting

Fresno Bee, August 7, 2022 

Consider climate when voting

With most Americans concerned or alarmed about climate change and millions suffering from air quality issues, why is the Supreme Court slowing US efforts toward both clean air and a stable climate?

The June 30 Supreme Court ruling in West Virginia v. the United States Environmental Protection Agency limited the EPA’s authority to regulate the greenhouse gasses that cause climate change and air pollution. The ruling also means that the EPA will only be able to monitor and enforce regulations regarding pollutants delegated by Congress in very specific laws.

Taking care of the environment we depend on for our lives and livelihoods didn’t used to be so partisan. The EPA was started by a Republican presidency in response to rising outrage over public health hazards in our environment.

We will be voting in November. Please plan to vote and consider carefully which candidates understand the critical need for legislation that reduces emissions while maintaining a thriving economy. Valley air is some of the worst in the nation, and record heat and drought make this worse. It also risks agriculture and the safety of outdoor workers, contributes to obesity and depression as people stay indoors, challenges our precious water supply and worsens wildfires. We can do better. We need to do better!

Andrea Farber De Zubiria, Fresno

https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article264205461.html

Anna Villavicencio - 8-21-2022? - Make a Carbon Adjustment

Bakersfield Californian 

Before August 21, 2022 

MAKE A CARBON ADJUSTMENT:

In a recent letter to the editor, doubt was expressed about the current state of the world warming. Yes, the Earth's climate has been changing for a long time, going through natural cycles. What's different is that this time the Earth is warming much faster. And, the warming started speeding up when humans started burning fossil fuels during the industrial revolution.

Try thinking about Earth's atmosphere as a blanket wrapped around the Earth. Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases, which act to thicken the blanket. More heat gets trapped inside Earth because less can escape past the blanket.

Europe's carbon border adjustment will affect American business in a negative way. Clearly if we care about our economy and business, we'll want to enact our own carbon border adjustment to protect our businesses, whether we care about climate change or not.

Take Germany, for example, which did rely on Russia for natural gas. But if they didn't need natural gas, Russia would have less leverage on them and their economy might be doing better. With the price volatility of fossil fuels, which actually helps to drive inflation, it seems smarter to depend on energy sources that are constant and won't go away. A carbon border adjustment will help our countries and others to make a transition to renewable energy while helping American businesses.

— Anna Villavicencio, Three Rivers

Matthew Armstrong - 7/17/2022, To Stop Crazy Gas Prices, Get Off Oil

To Stop Crazy Gas Prices, Get Off Oil

Fresno Bee, July 17, 2022

I often hear that Biden is responsible for the jump in fuel prices. This is odd, as gas prices are rising across the world, but Biden is the president of only one country. Oil (including oil from, the U.S.) is traded on a world market, and blaming Biden for it makes about as much sense as blaming Trump for the appearance of COVID-19. Fossil fuels are prone to market fluctuations, and major events often cause prices to spike. However, there are plenty of ways to generate power — including power to run vehicles — aside from fossil fuels. There’s nuclear power, wind, solar, hydroelectric and many more. If you are tired of being gouged at the gas pump, look to long-term solutions that allow us to stop relying on volatile oil markets. While we suffer, their profits increase. It’s time to let the oil companies lighten their wallets for a change. 

Matthew Armstrong, Fresno

 https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article263413123.html#storylink=cpy