In the middle of a global health pandemic, with significant economic tolls taken across the world, it is easy to forget we have another global crisis on our hands: climate change. It is odd that many forget about this second crisis as the two of them, you could argue, are connected. As a medical student who also loves environmental conservation, the pushback from big oil and its supporters on slowly transitioning to clean energy sources is deeply troubling.
Current projections predict that the warming of the earth will be responsible for the extinction of over one-third of plant and animal species by 2050 at current greenhouse gas emission rates. Snorkeling in the Belize Barrier Reef and Buck Island Reef off the coast of St. Croix, USVI you can see dead coral and a slow decline in marine wildlife, a sight that I have experienced firsthand. Around the world, we see increased frequency and intensity of storms. Disease-carrying insects are spreading their breeding grounds.
When is enough, enough? Without animals and plants, with more disease-carrying insects and storms, a world thrown into improper balance and prone to destruction, does money made by big oil and dirty energy sources matter? Does money or the economy even matter if there is no earth with which to live on?
If a family member becomes ill, we would get them the care they need without question. Our earth is ill, and we need to start taking care of it like family. Minnesota legislators have proposed a 100% Clean Energy Bill to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I urge everyone to join this fight, contact your legislators, invest in clean and renewable energy sources, put greed aside, to allow our earth the chance to survive and house many future generations.
MinnPost welcomes original letters from readers on current topics of general interest. Interested in joining the conversation? Submit your letter to the editor. The choice of letters for publication is at the discretion of MinnPost editors; they will not be able to respond to individual inquiries about letters.
