Letters to the editor: Closing airport would destroy eco-friendly sport; climate change is sticking around; getting emissions under control - Boulder Daily Camera
Letters: Closing airport would destroy eco-friendly sport; climate change is sticking around; getting emissions under control
Clemens Ceipek: Soaring: Closing airport would destroy our silent, eco-friendly sport
Near Boulder, mother nature provides ideal conditions for gliding — silent flights in hyper-efficient aircraft without motors. Powered only by the sun and the wind, glider pilots routinely fly across Colorado and beyond, two to eight hours at a time. After a short tow to get airborne, the flight is totally eco-friendly. No noise. No emissions.
Soaring, as we call it, is a high-performance sport. Boulder pilots regularly achieve top positions in national and international competitions.
Our non-profit Society has trained hundreds of individuals to fly, many of whom have later become pilots with airlines, the military or as aerial firefighters. Soaring pilots make better and safer airline pilots. Just recall the “Miracle on the Hudson” when Captain Sullenberger — a trained glider pilot — landed an Airbus 320 safely in the river when both engines failed.
Glider pilots are particularly attracted by the silent nature of our sport. We appreciate the concerns of the community related to airplanes, and we are fully committed to further reducing our impact on the environment. E.g., most new sailplanes come with small fuel-efficient engines allowing them to take off without a tow plane, and the latest generation uses electric engines with minimal noise and zero carbon emissions. One of our members already operates such a fully electric glider at the Boulder airport. More are on order. We also aim to upgrade our tow planes with much quieter models.
The Boulder airport has been home to the Soaring Society of Boulder since 1959 and is the only place to fly gliders in the entire Denver metro area. For us, it is the only trailhead to the Open Space in the sky. Please help us preserve it.
Clemens Ceipek, President Soaring Society of Boulder, Boulder
Robert Porath: Environment: Climate change will be with us into a yet undetermined offing
Given our recent abundance of warmth, water and carbon dioxide, greenery in Boulder is having a banner summer. Emerald ash borers did finally kill a neighbor’s tree, but during the attack, it scattered thousands of seeds, and I have saplings, one ten feet tall, popping up everywhere in my yard. Also, my golden rain tree is attempting to create a rain tree forest which, with the spread of chokecherries, mahonia, tansy, dock, burdock, cornflowers, et al. of the wild world of weeds, has turned my backyard into an aspiring jungle, all without city water.
The drought has eased, at least for now, and we have been spared the increasingly frequent climate disasters occurring around the world. We should thank our lucky stars, but must never forget that global warming and climate change will be with us into a yet undetermined offing.
Robert Porath, Boulder
Emerson Sturgis: We must reduce emissions and get climate change under control
The Daily Camera recently published two articles on extreme weather events — one on the storms and flooding in Europe and the other on how last month was the hottest month on record.
As the climate warms, high temperatures, storms and flooding are becoming more intense. In order to prevent this, we must address climate change.
One good proposal is the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, a bill introduced in the 115th, 116th and 117th Congresses that would drive down our carbon emissions and help to solve climate change.
Thank you to Rep. Joe Neguse for cosponsoring the bill in the 116th and 117th Congresses. I urge him to cosponsor the bill again when it is reintroduced. Please urge your members of Congress to support the passage of the bill.
In order to prevent extreme weather events, we must reduce our emissions and get climate change under control.
Emerson Sturgis, Lyons
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”