Letter: We depend on government to combat the effects of climate ... - Buffalo News
Letter: We depend on government to combat the effects of climate change
A gasoline tanker truck fire bringing down a piece of I-95 in Philadelphia, a key supply chain and transportation link (“I-95 collapse leaves commuters scrambling,” June 14), is a perfect instance of how federal policy has contributed to the climate crisis. Instead of mass transit, we got the Interstate Highway system, car dependence (which we call car culture), and massive mileage imposed on us to conduct our daily activities. Transportation accounts for 29% of U.S. climate emissions.
The Inflation Reduction and Bipartisan Infrastructure Acts are public policy to yank us back to safety, investing in clean energy, mass transit and electrification. Thanks to aware young Montanans, set to inherit our warming world, for fighting their state’s regressive efforts to counter sensible policy by encouraging fossil fuels (“Landmark youth climate trial begins in Montana,” June 14). May their Texas counterparts and others follow their lead.
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Private companies can’t be trusted to follow through on their own climate goals (“Few companies have a plan to meet ‘net-zero’ climate goals,” June 13). Promising to be green is so much PR. Again, it’s up to government policy to make polluting companies scofflaws.
A key step would be to put the NY HEAT Act at the top of the agenda for New York’s next legislative session. Assembly speaker Carl Heastie and Governor Kathy Hochul must be called out for failing to see this climate pollution lowering and cost saving bill through this year. Gas companies are otherwise incentivized to get dirtier.
Kitty Goldman
Buffalo
Related Knowledge Center: Climate legislation
The federal government and states are in the process of implementing two laws — the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act — an investment of more than a trillion dollars to address climate change.