Bruce Ratcliffe - 10-4-2020

 

Global warming is just starting

After weeks of depressingly bad air, the 160 AQI on a recent Thursday night magically dropped to 20 the next morning. My bike ride to work was thrilling – mask free!

Remember the movie “The Day After Tomorrow”? After the Earth is suddenly plunged into an Ice Age, Dennis Quaid snowshoes 40 miles into New York City to rescue a band of survivors, including Jake Gyllenhaal, proving his love for his formerly neglected son. Everyone smiles as the rescue helicopter heads back south. Their elation flying was my elation pedaling.

Until it hit me. The movie slaps this happy ending on an unimaginable disaster. Consider: half of all Americans (in the north) have frozen to death, and the other half, the “lucky” survivors will now starve to death. Wheat don’t grow on a glacier. Hollywood made half a billion on that movie, confirming their hunch that viewers wouldn’t think beyond the happy ending to the sobering one.

My happiness that morning came crashing down one block from home when it hit me: the clear skies weren’t the end of climate disaster. Fire season is not even half over. Global warming is just getting warmed up.

Bruce Ratcliffe, Fresno 

 https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article246162285.html

 

 

Andrea De Zubiria - 9-4-2020 - Heat spells and threat of COVID-19

 

Heat spells and threat of COVID-19

September 4, 2020

During these recent weeks of more than 100-degree temps, I feel so fortunate to have an indoor job and access to air conditioning. But I worry about the millions of people in our communitywho work outdoors or don’t have adequate shelter or air conditioning.

I just read in the CalCan report that extreme heat, worsened by climate change, has surpassed pesticide exposure as the major health concern for agricultural workers. Can you imagine what people working on farms go through in this punishing sun for 8-10 hours in order to feed the rest of us and support their families?

On top of that, climate change and air pollution are both caused by greenhouse gas emissions, and exacerbate asthma, COPD, allergies and lung cancer. These conditions are also known to make people who get COVID-19 be more vulnerable to getting seriously ill.

Effective legislation and good urban planning can slow global warming and reduce human suffering. Elections are just around the corner; please support candidates that advocate for effective solutions to protect our climate, air and health.

Andrea Farber De Zubiria, Fresno 

https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article245453710.html

Don Gaede - 7-12-2020 - Account for Climate Change

ACCOUNT FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

July 12, 2020

The Valley Air District board recently gave its annual report, and outlined a number of commendable actions it has been taking to improve air quality. But I didn’t see a single word about climate change and its effect on our air. 

Many medical groups, including the Fresno-Madera Medical Society, consider climate change to be a significant public health threat. Extreme weather can elevate ozone concentrations, impair the health of outdoor workers, exacerbate forest fires, and fill our air with dangerous smoke. Air pollution has even been linked to higher death rates from COVID-19 infections, according to a recent Harvard study. 

Fighting climate change addresses four problems at the same time: air pollution, rising CO2 levels, our health, and our economy. California’s cap-and-trade program helps our Valley replace highly polluting trucks, cars, tractors, and pumps. The money is estimated to produce $5 in health-care savings for every $1 spent. 

And it’s not just humans that are affected. Climate change also impacts the health of our Valley’s animals and crops, on which our economy depends. 

The Valley Air board needs to start acknowledging the elephant in the room. The directors ignore climate change at our peril. 

Don Gaede, Fresno

https://eedition.fresnobee.com/ccidist-replica-reader/?epub=https://eedition.fresnobee.com/ccidist-ws/mcclatchy/mcclatchy_frs_newsbroad/issues/31521/&token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJwdWJzIjp7ImZyZXNub19mcnNfbmV3c2Jyb2FkIjpbIkFMTEZSUy01MDMyIiwiQUxMRlJTLTUwMzIiLCJBTExGUlMtNTAzMiIsIkFMTEZSUy01MDMyIiwiZWVkaXRpb24iXX0sImlzcyI6Ik1jQ2xhdGNoeSIsInN1YiI6IjUwMDI3NTc4NiIsInNlc3Npb24iOjE1OTcxNTQ0NTAsImlhdCI6MTU5NDU2MjQ1MCwiZXhwIjoxNTk0NTYzMzUwfQ.MtiLwldsQq2WjbtI9J5iwqMtSux5b0wMeygpeLkrMAw#/articles/33

Mike Mayfield - 6-28-2020 - Pandemic has cleaned the air

Pandemic has cleaned the air

June 28, 2020

It’s unfortunate that a dramatic reduction in air pollution was caused by a pandemic and not by choice alone. However, these past few months have demonstrated how much healthier our community can be if we had less vehicles on the road. Put simply, smog and fumes emitted from the tailpipes of our vehicles have a profound impact on air quality and public health.

As Fresno emerges from the grips of this pandemic, there lies an important opportunity to change collective behaviors and rebuild our local economy in a more sustainable way. With this in mind, electrification of the transportation sector is key to a clean air future.

By creating new upgrades to the existing energy grid, Fresno can effectively support the adoption of new EVs and clean air vehicles.There is no doubt that this would allow citizens to breathe much easier. Microgrids are essential electricity during a grid outage and can ensure our lights are kept on. Communities like ours need to start looking at ways we can implement these renewable energy systems as well as encourage growth of electric vehicles to keep our air quality healthy and our cities safe.

Mike Mayfield, Fresno

 https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article243821747.html?fbclid=IwAR0zBSC1KvTAx12IwR5P9ebtwljftHgEOornyd3e96WarBv8Gxd2GknHYZM

Read more here: https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article243821747.html?fbclid=IwAR0zBSC1KvTAx12IwR5P9ebtwljftHgEOornyd3e96WarBv8Gxd2GknHYZM#storylink=cpy