Grateful for ocean coverage
EDITOR: Thank you for the eminently informative, readable and alarming special feature on the state of our coastal waters. I wish that everyone in Sonoma County who loves the coast and the ocean could read this.
The acidification, warming, pollution and sea level rise are reaching a tipping point beyond which the oceans may not be able to recover within a time span humans can make sense of.
As you make clear, the state of the ocean is a leading indicator of the state of our planetary ecosystem. Our world is on fire; sirens like yours are trying to wake us up as the flames get closer. But this time there will be nowhere to run.
In the bigger picture we can expect more frequent and more severe heat waves, storms, droughts and other extreme weather events, crop failures and consequent famines, enormous migrations as populations struggle to survive, along with more intra-national and international conflict.
Climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels may not be the cause of all of these coming conditions, but it is a major threat multiplier, dramatically increasing the possibility that by the end of this century much of the planet will no longer be hospitable for human habitation.
But this need not be our inevitable future. There is still time to alter our course and avoid the worst outcomes. This will require massive efforts on all of our parts as well as a willingness to imagine a very different economy — one based not on continual growth and resource extraction but instead on restoration of the world. Our individual actions — recycling, energy conservation, rooftop solar installation, electric vehicles, etc. — are important but they will never be enough without a shift in public policies to encourage dramatically reducing and eliminating the use of coal, oil and natural gas throughout our economy.
The big question is “What are we willing to do to enable our children and their children to enjoy a world of beauty, peace and abundance?”
We have the technological ability to make this transition. What we need is the political will. I encourage everyone who cares to make your voices heard and to vote for political leaders who are actually willing to lead on the most important issue of our age.
Larry Robinson
Sebastopol
Fair pay for Harmony teachers
EDITOR: We are lucky enough to send our children to Harmony Elementary. Our kids love it there, and their wonderful teachers are a huge part of that. Sadly, their teachers are poorly paid (16% below state average). Harmony teachers deserve to be paid a wage that will allow them to a live a dignified life in our community. The school has ample resources, and our community must demand that the teachers be fairly compensated.
If you agree please contact our school board to share your support of our teachers being paid a living wage, and attend our school board meeting at Harmony this Thursday, Aug. 22 at
6:45 p.m. and wear red to show your support.
Tim Ulcoq
Sebastopol
