Dave Majernik writes a deceptive letter, painting a gloomy picture for the future based on a false premise that “radical policies” are calling for banning gasoline cars and oil drilling (“Radical fuel policies would bankrupt us”).
As a strong defender of the environment, I would never advocate that. At the very least, we need drilling for plastic, and at the moment we still need gasoline-powered cars because battery technology isn’t ready for the full conversion. Majernik and like-minded people fail to see that the gloomiest future is what their “drill-baby-drill” philosophies will bring.
Hopefully, technology will soon allow us to kick our oil addiction, but in the meantime, can’t we conserve a bit? Get a hybrid. I get 60 mpg. Use rails instead of long-distance trucks. Buy a small vehicle. How about a rule that if you want a pickup, you have to show why you need it for your work? Driving a guzzler increases demand and raises the price of gasoline for everyone. Even if you don’t believe in climate change, do you really want to pay more for gasoline?
Sounds radical to you? Think about a future where Earth is uninhabitable. The experts say that is coming soon if we don’t make lifestyle concessions. Mr. Majernik, do you have any children you care about, or do you only care about yourself in the present? Let’s listen to the experts and do the best we can to save our world, instead of deliberately spreading false information for selfish purposes.
Fred Durig
Delmont