I’d like to add to professor Lawrence Winship’s article, “Should we ask the trees for help with climate change?” (Earth Matters, Dec. 8) I agree with him, but he did not mention time.
We do not have any time. It will be 20 to 30 years before a seedling grows enough to absorb much carbon, not to mention any of the other harmful gasses we generate. Keeping the seedings alive during that time of temperature rise is problematic.
As Winship says, keeping carbon (and the rest) in the ground is the best answer. State Rep. Jennifer E. Benson’s bill (H2810) in Boston and the Citizens Climate Lobby bill Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act in Washington D.C. have the best approach to keeping carbon in the ground — a carbon fee and dividend. Both would add a cost to carbon use and then return the money equally to all the people, many of whom may not use much.
Most scientists and economists consider this our most effective plan.
John Howard
South Hadley