Letter: Give Priority to Climate News
To the Editor:
A recent article by Jon Wolper describing the fifth annual Community Energy and Action Conference on Dec. 1 at the Lake Morey Resort ended on a sour note with Meredith Angwin’s opinion that Vermont’s 90 percent renewable energy goal might not be attainable in 2050 or possibly ever. Outrageous! Not only do we need to attain 90 percent renewable energy use as soon as possible, we should be reaching for 100 percent.
Our most critical environmental challenge today, and one that will extend for however long it takes, is to reduce our emission of global warming gasses to zero and at the same time enhance the landscape’s ability to absorb the carbon overload already in the atmosphere. Hopefully, we will be able to avoid an out-of-control warming cycle and eventually return to a livable and sustainable climate. It would be a great help if your paper leads others to do their part in covering news that relates to this critical effort. Climate change is here, and I urge the Valley News to do its part to help avert a growing crisis and be part of the solution.
On Nov. 29, Rep. Margaret Cheney and SERG founder and director Bob Walker presented an excellent forum and community discussion to an overflow audience of over 200 at the Montshire Museum in Norwich. The subject of their forum was their recent tour of Germany’s renewable energy system and that country’s transition away from nuclear and fossil fuels. The fact that you didn’t cover the forum after your news desk was notified indicates to me that your leadership and staff are not yet sufficiently aware of the severity of the problem and the challenges we face.
I hope the Valley News, an otherwise excellent newspaper, will develop a high priority for news related to our growing climate change crisis.
Charles McKenna
Wilder
