No. Don’t let the markets decide!

The commentary presented on Aug. 22, “Let the Market Decide” (Livingston County News), criticized solar panels because their cost was offset by government subsidiaries and the cover more land surface than oil or coal installations. Notably unmentioned is the existential threat fossil fuels impose on humanity due to global warming. Backed by irrefutable science, fossil fuels emit carbon dioxide that causes a dangerous rise in temperature as shown below.

This exponential rise in temperatures is due exclusively to our reliance on oil and coal. The increase in world-wide temperature negatively impacts our environment, our weather and our very lives. The scientifically irrefutable truth is that if we don’t reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, temperatures will continue to rise. Ignoring science and facts will cost the world far more than what we now pay for solar panels. And, there will also be a significant cost in human lives. Just consider heat waves. Since 2014 the number of people dying from heat waves has exponentially increased. Over the last four years heat wave deaths have increased by 50%.

The article emphasized how solar panels reduce arable regions for farming. Well, higher temperatures are already negatively impacting farmers who have to pay for more water and are losing more crops due to droughts. The increase in droughts due to global warming is climbing just like the temperatures are climbing. As CO2 emissions from fossil fuels increase, droughts increase and farmers will end up with less arable land and dangerous forest fires will happens more and more often. Entire regions of the world will become inarable. This will result in population shifts and war. Think the world has problems with immigration now? Just wait until billions of hungry people move from what was once viable farm land into cooler climes just to survive.

The painful truth is that global warming is already impacting us and it will just get worse as Republicans push for Americans to accept fossil fuels as panacea for economic problems they created by giving tax breaks to the very rich. Droughts are already impacting lakes across the country. Harmful algal blooms that erupt in very warm water can be dangerous to humans and animals, causing illness and even death. These blooms used to appear for short times in the middle of August. Since we are now experiencing higher temperatures, they too often appear as early as June and continue throughout the entire summer making lakes more dangerous than fun.

And, let’s not forget people who rely on well water. With higher temperatures, well water decreases and communities relying on well water have had to reduce their use of water. With even higher future temperatures, it will be more and more difficult to get enough water from wells.

As the temperatures rise, extreme weather events, like thunderstorms, tornados and hurricanes occur more often and with more ferocity. There has been a significant increase in hurricanes and tornadoes in the last twenty years. The awful truth is that as temperatures rise, expect more violent weather. Every storm comes with a monetary loss to the public. More storms, more monetary loss. All thanks to Republicans who discourage renewable sources and encourage our reliance on fossil fuels.

Rising temperatures are melting glaciers and depositing tremendous amounts of water into our oceans. Also, the volume of the ocean expands as it is heated. The consequence of those two actions will cause sea levels to rise about one foot by 2050…if we keep up this short-term, selfish desire for fossil fuels. Just to save water front properties and coastal cities like Boston, New York and New Orleans, protective dams will cost hundreds of billions of dollars. Indeed, the monetary loss of this Republican folly will end up costing America tens of trillions of dollars in the next twenty years.

Republicans emphasize how oil and coal are cheaper to use and they urge America to let the market decide. But it is a conman’s trick. The fossil fuel industry, rich investors and politicians will make the most money by letting the market decide, but Americans will pay a terrible price in dollars and lives in the future. Instead of letting the markets decide now, let’s rely on facts and conscience to decide what’s best for our future, for our children.