Letter: Aim lower with the blame

Published: 01-24-2025 5:24 PM

The storms, fires, and floods we are seeing are not God's wrath. Nor are they of any unholy origin. These have origin in nature, amplified by human activity.

We are all culpable. We drive, light and heat our homes, consume resources in a reckless ways, producing wastes.
However, a large share of blame lies with fossil fuels and with government. The fossil fuel industry practiced deception, minimizing the atmospheric impacts of digging up and burning trillions of tons of carbon for profit. Government failed to protect the populace, preferring to support economic health while allowing itself to become slaves to industry’s ultra-wealthy investors.

Successful politicians are beholden to contributors as a means of gaining and retaining power. Our planet passed 1.5 degrees Celsius in 2023, years earlier than climate scientists predicted. As permafrost melts, it releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas. As polar ice melts, the sun's heat is absorbed by open water, hastening warming. Global carbon dioxide emissions continue to climb.



Climate change is only going to accelerate. Heat is energy, and energy is always shifting and changing form. As we continue to release carbon dioxide and expedite release of methane, we will quickly pass milestones in global heating. We must expect more frequent catastrophic weather and events. But don't blame God. It is the abuse of free will; the choosing of self-destructive greed over sustainability that has permitted a tiny percentage of people to enable the destruction of us all.

Chris Balch

Wilton