Climate change: We need to get out of our cars

Re: “Bill Gates was right: Make climate spending about results” (Nov. 26, Opinion):

The author gets the goal exactly right, as Gov. Jay Inslee proposed in 2013, “that climate expenditures ‘be prioritized to ensure the greatest amount of environmental benefit for each dollar spent … ’ ”

But he gets the strategy that is needed wrong. He and Bill Gates miss the lowest hanging fruit for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. Since our goal is getting the most reduction for the least expense, shouldn’t we be focused on transportation, the largest source of emissions in Washington state?

We need to be getting out of our cars and on our feet, bikes and transit. I know it’s politically unpopular because it will undermine the oil, highway and car industries. So instead, we are misled into subsidizing electrification of transportation, which is costing a lot and doing a laughably teeny amount. Clearly we love our cars more than our children and grandchildren. Meanwhile, emissions continue increasing. Fiddling while Rome burns, anyone?

Scott G. Walker, Port Townsend