Letters for May 25: Region needs to work together to fight climate change
Climate
Re “Weather warning” (Our Views, May 11): A giant thanks to The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press Editorial Board for its editorial that clearly lays out our situation regarding some of the local effects of global warming.
In Tidewater, we are in real danger from rapid global warming. The Republican administration has cut experienced scientists and closed offices at the National Weather Service and NOAA’s climate research office, and has cut funding for scientists in universities. It is pushing for higher carbon emissions by opening up our national lands for drilling, cutting back on EPA regulations that fight pollution, and destroying the clean energy tax credits — despite U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans’ best efforts to keep those credits.
We need to work together now to plan how we can lower carbon emissions in this area. The local military bases are at risk from sea level rise, and along with them, thousands of jobs.
Each Tidewater community needs to do its part, and our impact grows when we work together. We could set up a board of representatives from each of our communities to work on a master plan. The whole region needs to move full speed ahead to slow global warming and address sea level rise. The main cause is too much carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. As our region is among the most threatened, we should collaborate on best practices to show the rest of the country.
Patricia Jacobson, Suffolk
Injustice
I am writing to bring attention to an injustice affecting our firefighters — public servants who risk their lives every day for our safety. My husband, William K. Carter, served the Newport News Fire Department with distinction for more than 27 years. He responded to hundreds of emergency calls, charging into burning buildings and exposing himself to hazardous conditions without hesitation.
In 2022, William was diagnosed with intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. While his doctors believe the illness could be linked to his occupational exposures, Virginia’s current workers’ compensation laws do not recognize this type of cancer as a presumptive illness for firefighters. As a result, the claim for benefits has been denied.
It is both unrealistic and heartless to expect firefighters to document their exposure to toxins at the scene of every emergency. The law’s current narrow definition of “presumptive cancers” fails to account for the real risks our first responders face.
We have decided to withdraw William’s claim — not because we believe it lacks merit, but because the process has proven to be deeply disappointing.
I urge lawmakers to re-examine Virginia’s workers’ compensation laws and expand the list of presumptive cancers to reflect the modern understanding of occupational risk. No firefighter should have to fight cancer and bureaucracy at the same time.
Judy Carter, Windsor
Plant power
Re “Meat is back” (Sunday Break, May 18): I was dismayed to read that “meat is back.” Politics aside, the article failed to address the 1.2 trillion animals grown every year for food, the conditions of which are largely inhumane.
Growing such large animal numbers uses vast amounts of land and water, with the billions of acres used causing deforestation, habitat loss and biodiversity decline. Animal waste runoff causes water pollution and dead zones. Overcrowded animals cause increased antibiotic resistance and risk of zoonotic disease transmission to humans. The first mammal infected with bird flu was recently reported in Virginia.
About 15-18% of greenhouse gas emissions come from animal agriculture, larger than all forms of transportation combined. And an animal rich diet increases risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers.
You can thrive on a plant forward diet by just cutting out the middleman — the animals.
Dr. Christine Llewellyn, Williamsburg