Dr. David Gottsegen makes excellent points in his opinion piece, “Human health depends on a healthy planet Earth,” [Gazette, July 7]. Rolling back the progress we’ve been making on climate puts everyone’s health at risk, as the warming climate continues to cause worsening storms, floods, and wildfires — remember the floods in the Northeast in 2023, the wildfires in Canada, and the horrendous loss of life in Texas just this past week? Trump and the Republicans in Congress are cutting off avenues that could help mitigate this crisis, such as investments in clean energy, adequate staffing at NOAA and FEMA, and the research we need in so many areas to protect human health. Thanks to Dr. Gottsegen for calling all of this out. As he says, “Climate change is very real and getting worse; we can’t make it go away by saying it doesn’t exist.” It’s some consolation that, although the U.S. government has chosen to close its eyes to the problem, many other countries are taking a much more sensible path and making the investments that the U.S. should be making. Let’s wish them luck, and let’s tell our own Congress to wake up and do its job.
