To the Editor:
Together we can make this moment on Earth more tolerable for our grandchildren if we all decide to not just talk, but act.
This moment demands a new approach.
We are paying an extraordinary price for our unwillingness to live by the precautionary principle of “first, do no harm.”
The challenge is clear and compelling. Climate change is threatening our good life in the United States, and the good and not-so-good lives of others throughout the world. Our grandchildren will inherit a poisoned environment created by our unintended actions.
Massachusetts — just like 19 other states and the District of Columbia — adopted a renewable portfolio standard, a state policy that requires electricity providers to obtain a minimum or greater percentage of their power from renewable energy sources by a certain date. All retail electricity providers in the state were required to utilize renewable energy sources for at least 4 percent of their power supply by 2009.
In 2015, 9.4 percent of net electricity generation in Massachusetts came from renewable energy resources.
Renewable energy sources are the next great arena of energy opportunity.
The United States has only about 5 percent of the world’s population, but is responsible for about 25 percent of global emissions.
Many of the problems facing our planet today can be addressed if we accept the connections between our actions and their consequences.
Knowledge is power. Armed with the facts, we can make a difference. But, It can only come about from the leadership of gutsy individuals. We are running out of time. The status quo poses enormous dangers.
Prove to me, President-elect Trump, that you are the leader who can and will protect my grandchildren. Common sense tells us there is a practical and moral need to act.
Peter Cabana
Tisbury
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