Do your part to fight climate denialism; county must pause minimum wage increases (Letters)

Do your part to fight climate denialism

Next Tuesday, September 2, will be your last opportunity to be heard on an issue that impacts all of our lives: climate change.

The U.S. Department of Energy recently released “A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate” to provide a foundation for current U.S. climate policy. Unfortunately, this “Review” purports to refute many of the findings of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change. But just look at the numbers: the IPCC Report took 782 authors in 3 teams reviewing more than 53,000 sources over half a decade to compile, and was approved line-by-line by 195 countries. The recent DOE “Review” was compiled in two months by a team of just five authors (2 from the same school, University of Alabama Huntsville).

What we as individuals can do may seem small, but small collective acts have changed the world. Show our government that we are watching and that we do not support its efforts to distort science to undermine progress in addressing the climate conundrum.

Submit your comment about the DOE “Review” before Sept. 2: https://tinyurl.com/38kajfuh.

And while you are at it, please also submit a comment concerning efforts to overturn the “Endangerment Finding,” which has given EPA authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. That comment is due by September 22: https://tinyurl.com/3nrshz7b.

K.K. DuVivier, Boulder 

County must pause minimum wage increases

Our Niwot community has watched too many beloved local businesses close their doors. Behind these business closures are owners who are squeezed by high rents and a mandated minimum wage set by the Boulder County Commissioners that is much higher than neighboring municipalities and the state of Colorado. While the commissioners might have intended to help workers, their action of setting a minimum wage in unincorporated Boulder County that is about $2.00 per hour higher than the Colorado minimum wage has pushed small businesses and farmers beyond their limits. The consequence of the higher minimum wage has in fact been a loss of jobs and sales tax revenue, threatening the very existence of both small businesses and farms.

With the minimum wage in unincorporated Boulder County set to continue to increase over the next few years, we are at risk for losing more jobs and sales tax revenue. The impact also extends to our farmers, who have long been the backbone of our county. Some have already relocated to less costly communities or ceased farming altogether — threatening access to fresh, local food and eroding our rural character. We are also losing our ability to walk or bike to local establishments, forcing greater dependency on cars and reducing the livability of our town.

Small businesses and farmers are more than economic units; they are neighbors, stewards of our land, and part of the fabric of our town and county. Let’s not wait until they are gone to recognize their value. The Boulder County Commissioners need to immediately pause any further increase in the minimum wage to allow neighboring communities and the Colorado minimum wage time to catch up to the mandated wage the commissioners established for unincorporated Boulder County. We need to act swiftly to save jobs and farms.

Susan Cloar, Niwot