To the Editor,
The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, warning us about the environmental problems we would face in the coming decades. Now, 54 years later, the net result seems to be that we have global warming bearing down on us full force. It’s hard to believe that there are still people who think it is a hoax or say, “Whoa, slow down, let’s not be hasty in responding.”
In the 1940s, through a concerted effort, we developed the atomic bomb, which could destroy a whole city. It took four short years. Now, facing the urgency of impending environmental disaster, through decades of collective foot-dragging we may be able to destroy an entire planet. What might we have accomplished if we had put a similar effort into saving planet Earth and its inhabitants for all these intervening years? It’s not like we don’t know how to mobilize people and resources in an emergency. It’s long past time to put more wind into our sails on this issue. Let’s hope it’s not too late.
Paul Hanke
Warren
