Paulina Torres - 7-27-2019 - Op Ed - Valley congressmen should support renewable energy bill

Valley congressmen should support renewable energy bill

The Fresno Bee - 27 Jul 2019BY PAULINA TORRES

https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-fresno-bee/20190727/282003264027036

I have lived in Terra Bella, a quiet and close-knit town of a little over 3,000 people in Tulare County, for the past six years. My hard-working parents, like most people in Terra Bella, pick the fruits and vegetables that are bound for markets all over the world. As the 18-year-old daughter of a low-income Latino family, the last place I would have imagined myself was lobbying Congress about climate change in Washington, D.C.??But on June 8, I traveled to the Capitol with four other volunteers from the??Central Valley thanks to a student scholarship from Citizens??? Climate Lobby. Just a few weeks after graduating from high school, I was lucky enough to attend the 10th Annual International Climate Change Conference and Lobby Day and meet with members of Congress in the House of Representatives.

As a millennial and part of the future of this country, the constant threat of climate change is something that worries me. I know many young adults feel the same way. It was reassuring to meet other young people when I was in Washington who are also working towards solutions. Global warming and the changes it is causing to our climate are no longer possible to ignore. The science has been proven and we can see the effects around us. The average temperature is hotter than ever, which affects our air quality. Glaciers are melting and fires, floods and storms are more frequent and more intense.

I have learned that the communities most affected by global warming and air pollution are those just like mine ??? under-resourced, low income, undereducated communities of color. I have seen how these categories can lead to a mentality of either denial or conformity. Either mentality can stop people like me from seeing problems and using our voices to impact the future. I used to feel discouraged from discussing religion or politics. But the more I learned about climate change, the more I felt I had a mission to make an impact on the way we are addressing this worldwide problem.

The democratic process of our country is inspiring to me. And even though I have felt intimidated at times, I feel proud and humbled to help my community to use its voice to support effective action to protect us from the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.??I went to D.C. to learn and also to encourage Congress to support a bipartisan bill, HR 763, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. Instead of telling people what they can or can???t do or buy, this bill uses a market-driven solution to encourage innovation. This will help us use more renewable sources of energy that will do less harm to our air, water and soil.??

This past year, I started giving presentations about climate change in my area. The student governments of three Porterville high schools (Summit Academy Charter School, Harmony Magnet Academy, and Granite Hills) have now endorsed the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act.??HR763 will be good for people because it is predicted to lower greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent in just 12 years. On top of that, all of the money from the fees on carbon emissions goes back to all Americans to spend any way they choose. 2.1 million jobs new jobs are expected, many from the extra spending power people will have from the dividend. Everyone will benefit but this will especially help low- and middleincome people.

Although the Energy Innovation Act in Congress is a huge step in the right direction, our local members of Congress are still hesitant to cosponsor HR 763. We need them to act before the damage of global warming and the changes it is causing to our environment get worse.

I will be leaving Terra Bella for college in Los Angeles soon, but I will never forget about my family, my town, or my community. They are counting on me to work hard, succeed and to help them to have a voice for a healthy future. That???s why I am asking Valley Representatives TJ Cox, Jim Costa, Kevin McCarthy, Tom McClintock and Devin Nunes to help Valley residents by supporting this bipartisan bill.

Paulina Torres is a recent graduate of Summit Academy Charter School in Porterville. She will be attending UCLA in the fall as a political science major. She enjoys playing soccer, practicing guitar, and spending time with family. She is a volunteer with Citizens??? Climate Lobby in Fresno.

Pat Reeves 8-18-2019 - SHINING EXAMPLES WHO INSPIRE HOPE

Shining Examples Who Inspire Hope

Negative stories often dominate the news so I was heartened on a recent Saturday by two articles in the Valley Voices section of The Bee. In the first, John Minkler described his civic education program, in which students are taught to be participants in our democracy, not just passive observers. These fortunate students are learning by doing, the best kind of learning there is. Kudos to those teachers he works with who are willing to put in the extra time and energy that this kind of program requires.

Then to my surprise, an article directly below Minkler’s described an inspiring example of this type of active citizenship. Pauline Torres, fresh out of high school, described her concern about her future and the future of others in regard to climate change. Her care and concern took her to Washington, D.C., where she advocated for a House bill, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. Pauline is working toward solutions for this global crisis.

Pat Reeves

 August 18, 2019

Ruth Afifi - July 2019 - Agricultural Research Services - unpublished

Because of the resources and scientific capabilities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, penicillin saved the lives of thousands of soldiers during World War II. The drug had been discovered in Britain in 1928, but it was not until 1942 that a small amount from Britain was nurtured by a division of the USDA into the thousands of doses needed by the military.

That USDA division, the Agricultural Research Services (ARS), is still doing great science, but the Trump administration has stopped promoting any research which shows the negative effects of climate change on food production. Since January 2017, the ARS has publicized just two climate-related studies, both favorable to the meat industry. Dozens of climate-related studies have been ignored, including a major study showing that rice loses vitamins in a carbon-rich environment, a fact that will affect hundreds of millions of people.

Climate change is a daunting challenge, but the more we understand how it will affect the planet, the better we will be able to mitigate the damage. The administration's head-in-the-sand approach assures an ever more dreadful future.

Ruth Afifi
Unpublished

Connie Young - 5-10-2019 - Thanking Congress for climate votes

Thanking Congress for climate votes

 May 10, 2019

I’m feeling grateful to three Republican members of Congress who joined Democrats to vote for the Climate Action Now Act (HR 9), which would prevent the administration from pulling out of the Paris climate accord. They are Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Vern Buchanan of Florida. Having seen the suffering caused by sea level rise and more dangerous storms, they courageously put the welfare of their constituents above party politics.

Likewise, I appreciate Reps. Jim Costa and TJ Cox, who also voted for this resolution. They are paying attention to climate scientists and constituents who advise that addressing climate change now will save lives and cost far less than ignoring the problem.

Polls show that voters prefer candidates and politicians who reach across the aisle to work with members of other parties. Their ability to collaborate enables them to legislate more effective solutions than those resulting from the “my way or the highway” approach.

Let’s thank these legislators for working together for the common good.

Connie Young, Fresno

https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article230228979.html

Patricia Reeves - 5-4-2019 - Support proposed carbon dividend

Support proposed carbon dividend

May 4, 2019

George Burman summarized the effects of climate change quite accurately in his Valley Voice last Saturday. There is an important information, however, that needs to be added.
A bipartisan solution, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, (H.R. 763) was introduced into Congress in January and has been steadily gaining co-sponsors as well as support from major institutions. This policy will reduce America’s emissions by at least 40% in the first 12 years. The fees collected on carbon emissions will be allocated to all Americans to spend any way they choose. The government will not keep any of the fees collected. This bill needs your support.

Patricia Reeves, Fresno

https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article229973204.html
 

Read more here: https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article229973204.html#storylink=cpy

Robert Pethoud - 5-4-2019 - Climate change and democracy

Climate change and democracy

5-4-2019

George Burman (Valley Voices, April 27) elucidated frightening consequences of climate change, likening human civilization to the crew of the Titanic in its denial and inaction. Bottom line: global warming is real, it’s bad, and we caused it, by spewing billions of tons of greenhouse gases into Earth’s atmosphere.
Yet we may avoid catastrophe if we take action immediately. We must insist that our elected representatives support HR 763, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. This revenue-neutral bill puts a gradually increasing fee on carbon at the source, returning the proceeds to American families as a dividend while reducing America’s emissions by 40%.
But that’s not all. Global warming has been understood since the 1970s, but the fossil fuel industry has waged a massive, unrelenting campaign of lobbying, donations, and outright lying to keep Americans from accepting the facts. To counter that, we must also support HJR 48, the “We the People Amendment,” which will establish that (1) corporations are not persons entitled to constitutional rights and (2) money is not speech and can be regulated in elections. We must take back our democracy from the monied interests in order to tackle climate change and other problems we face.

 Robert Pethoud, Fresno

Read more here: https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article229973204.html#storylink=cpy

Andrea Boone - 5-2-2019 - Religious leaders and climate change

Religious leaders and climate change 

May 2, 2019 

 This is a plea to Valley religious leaders and their faith communities. I believe religious leaders try to be good stewards to their congregations and good stewards for all of God's beautiful creation. Air pollution in our Valley worsens conditions for all of us, but especially for the children and the elderly. Our rates of asthma, Valley fever and COPD are already high and the worsening wildfires exacerbated by climate change will make it worse.
Religious leaders are in a position to raise awareness and encourage steps to improve the situation. Letters and phone calls to members of Congress can lead to action. People also can join and help environmental organizations. I belong to Citizens’ Climate Lobby Fresno, which has chapters all across the United States.
We are excited that we have a bipartisan-supported bill in Congress, HR 763. If passed it will create jobs and reduce carbon pollution.
To be good stewards, I hope religious leaders and faith-based communities will take bold steps to protect our valley, God’s creation, and all life on earth.

Andrea Boone, Fresno

Read more here: https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article229882669.html#storylink=cpy