Local action isn’t enough

“Climate science, not pseudoscience” (Pablo Monsivais, April 19) says that the problem of global warming “requires global and local action.” That’s true, but the international scientific community has made it very clear that local, or even statewide/regional climate action will be much too little too late. We must pass the Green New Deal’s energy plan in 2021 if we are to have any chance at preventing “catastrophic” global warming. We will greenhouse gas emissions cuts of at least 50% by 2030 and the GND aims for that and perhaps more. It’s the only plan we have that can do that.

The GND’s energy plan is estimated to cost $15 trillion over 1-2 decades (Stanford University’s solutionsproject.org) but it’s also estimated to prevent over $160 trillion the U.S. economy would otherwise suffer due to climate disasters (Forbes, April 2018). Scaling up solar and wind energy nationwide will make them “essentially free” by 2030 (Financial Times, UBS Aug 2018).

Just a half-degree increase is projected to cost the U.S. economy $13 trillion (IPCC) and we’re currently on a trajectory to a 5-degree Centigrade increase, which would result in “global economic collapse” followed by “societal collapse” (National Academy of Sciences). We must act now.

Pete Kuntz

Northglenn, Colo.