I’ve
had it with insults, sarcasm and screaming getting all our
attention. I’m ready for civility, decency and the democratic process to
get a lot more coverage.
That’s
why I admire the 17 Republican members of Congress, including the
Central Valley’s David Valadao, for the letter they sent to President
Biden on Jan. 20.
My
favorite part was this: “Americans are tired of the partisan gridlock
and simply want to see leaders from both sides of the aisle work on
issues important to American families, workers, and businesses ... We
firmly believe that what unites us as Americans is far greater than
anything that may ever divide us. In that spirit, we hope that we can
rise above the partisan fray to negotiate meaningful change for
Americans across the nation.”.
I
respect this reach across the aisle and hope we see a lot more of this
from both parties. We need our leaders to move us toward lasting
solutions to the pandemic, racial injustice, poverty, gun violence and
climate change. I hope the most used word of 2021 will be “bipartisan.”
One minute, Fresno woman readies for Sierra camping trip. Then Creek Fire ruins her plans
By Jenifer Schwartz Casey
As
we descended the last few miles of Kaiser Pass Road toward Huntington
Lake, it looked like we were driving into an apocalypse. Fire had turned
the sky above and between the oaks and pines a deep orange, and it was
growing dark at noon. The Creek Fire had jumped the road and now Highway
168, the only way out of the mountains, was blocked. Car by car,
sheriffs directed 75 campers, several journalists, and our dogs to a
paved area behind China Peak ski resort. There was no cell service, but
the sheriffs had radio communication with Cal Fire. They informed us our
only way out was by helicopter — in an hour, or maybe 12. No one knew
because there was zero visibility. So, we scrambled to organize
necessary belongings into one backpack, as instructed, and to be ready
at any moment.
My exchange student, Christian, and I had been
looking forward to this camping trip. It was our last weekend to visit
one of my favorite places in the high Sierra before the roads closed for
winter. I’ve hiked and camped around the Ansel Adams Wilderness and
Edison Lake for more than 25 years, usually staying near Mono Creek, a
gorgeous, crashing trout stream. Coming into these mountains along
rugged, windy roads always feels like coming home. I find serenity
amongst oaks and cottonwood trees, willows and dogwoods, then hike
higher into conifers, ponderosas, sugar pines, incense cedars and
aspens.
But I’d seen the changes. The most extreme drought event
in hundreds of years caused a huge die-off of the Sierra Nevada’s
mature trees in 2015-16. Over the past several years, I saw groves of
mixed pine and firs, brown and dead from the bark beetle that had
invaded drought-damaged trees and stumps where majestic conifers once
stood.
And
now this forest I loved was burning. We were trapped, with no way to
even contact our families, surely worried back home. Suddenly, after
hours of waiting, a sheriff was on his loudspeaker, directing us to get
in our cars immediately. Cal Fire and rescue volunteers escorted us down
the mountain, toward the fire, which was burning on both sides of the
road at Shaver Lake. I was terrified and wanted to weep at the
devastation, but I held it together and kept on driving. They led us
past the lake, through the town, and several miles farther. When we
reached the town of Prather, about 45 minutes from home, we stopped to
let our families know we were alive and safe. That’s when I broke down
and cried.
The Creek Fire is now mostly contained, but tragically, 379,895 acres of forest have
burned along with almost 900 structures. This year alone, California
has seen more than 4 million acres burned by wildfires. Our overcrowded
forests and history of fire suppression policies are only part of the
equation. Drought and record-breaking heat waves have set the stage,
turning our forests into the fuel that a lightning strike or any stray
spark could turn into a raging wildfire.
In 2018, retiring Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott told public radio station KQED,
“Firefighters face the impact of climate change every day.” At our
current trajectory, temperatures will continue to climb, bringing more
fires and greater destruction. These wildfires also create a feedback
loop that exacerbates climate change by releasing massive amounts of
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
My experience with the Creek
Fire has motivated me to learn more about how we can mitigate climate
change. We must reduce the heat-trapping pollution that is warming our
world. The Central Valley Asthma Collaborative, the Central Valley Air
Quality Coalition, student groups as well as faith and business
organizations in our area have endorsed the Energy Innovation and Carbon
Dividend Act (HR 763). This bipartisan legislation puts a price on
carbon pollution, spurring innovation. Studies show it will drive down
carbon emissions by 40 percent in the first 12 years and 90 percent by
2050. The dividend will give low- and middle-income households a
financial boost.
This holiday season, I am grateful to the
Vermillion Resort staff, firefighters, deputy sheriffs and emergency
personnel who helped get us home safe and sound. I’m going to show
appreciation by advocating for policies that will help keep them safer
too. I’m contacting my congressman, Devin Nunes, to ask him to support
HR 763; I would be thankful if you would call or email your
representative as well.
Jenifer
Schwartz Casey is a college English instructor at Fresno City College,
specializing in critical reading, composition, and literature. She is an
avid outdoor enthusiast, camping and hiking through the Sierras with
her family, friends, and dogs.
Read
more here:
https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/readers-opinion/article247907500.html?fbclid=IwAR2myYw2xGWEqhltMSidZ7ITUCnIMyLWuU5HIv8l5rC7jHIYOFyIbSAjbyA#storylink=cpy
I love to garden, and I was very frustrated in recent months
having to hide in the house day after day because of the smoky air. We
were warned repeatedly that the air was unhealthy for everyone, so I
stayed indoors. Therefore, I was not surprised recently to read in The
Bee that “The Valley has worst air quality after year of fires” (12/28)
and that “asthma events” due to smoke exposure will increase with ever
more wildfires caused primarily by climate change.
The article explains that rising temperatures reduce the moisture
in the soil, increase evaporation, cause snow and ice to melt faster,
and will shorten the rainy season. Droughts are predicted to become more
severe and frequent. Dry forests and other vegetation will be fuel for
wildfires, and smoke from the fires will worsen air quality, resulting
in millions of dollars of medical costs.
We need to free ourselves from the fossil fuels that are causing
climate change. For example, we can require electric vehicles instead of
gas-powered cars and trucks. It will not be easy or cheap, but we have
no other choice if we want to improve our air quality, reduce health
care costs, and stop climate change.
In
the early 2000s, British Petroleum unveiled a propaganda campaign to
deflect responsibility from itself as the true source of fossil fuel
emissions. The question they asked was, “What is your carbon footprint?”
implying that we, the public, could significantly reduce carbon
emissions by making lifestyle changes. Meanwhile, the company produced
close to 4 million barrels of oil a day and continued acquiring new oil
and gas reserves.
While
we can try to make responsible choices, our options are often limited,
and only make a small impact. So, the question should be what can BP do
about its carbon footprint? Oil and gas companies get enormous subsidies
while profiting from spewing heat-trapping carbon emissions into our
atmosphere. How can we address this?
We
can support legislation that lowers emissions on a massive scale by
putting fees on carbon pollution at the source — the fuel and oil
companies. Numerous studies have shown that legislation like the Energy
Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act will create energy options, clean our
air and promote a thriving economy.
Now
that we have a president who is making climate change a top priority,
we must support bills that help him address this existential threat.
“Climate change an opportunity, not a challenge” (Op Ed,
Oct. 19) invokes a “key conservative ideal: morally responsible stewardship (of
Earth) for future generations,” and a conservative guiding principle: “a
commitment to free-market solutions over heavy-handed regulation.” I challenge
the 2020 GOP — legislators, office-holders, rank and file — to demonstrate your
willingness to work toward these longstanding goals.
HR 763, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, is a
proposal that uses market forces to spur technological ingenuity to lower
greenhouse gas emissions, leading to less pollution, better health, and reduced
global warming. To date, though, way more Democrats than Republicans (81 to 1)
co-sponsor this bill in the House of Representatives.
I call on all genuine conservatives to show the nation that
you do, in fact, hold the ideals you’ve espoused for years.
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.
