Ken Harwood: Focus on environmental issues other than global warming

Dear Editor: Thank you for you excellent coverage of Earth Day and Earth Day events. I did notice that, once again, global warming was front and center as the key topic of discussion.

I want to remind readers that when Earth Day was created in 1970, global warming was not an issue. In fact, on the first Earth Day ecologist Kenneth Watt stated, "The world has been chilling sharply for about 20 years. If present trends continue, the world will be about four degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but 11 degrees colder in the year 2000. This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age."

Oops — but we focused on pollution, water quality, land conservation, recreation, and creating a better world for our grandchildren. I believe we need to return to this vision.

Why focus on global warming? What we need to do is address the issues of expelling carbon into the environment. Global warming is ONE issue, but there are hundreds more and we never talk about them anymore.

We now have leaders suggesting that the debatability of the science surrounding global warming should allow for exceptions or outright elimination of carbon regulations. This would include our own governor and legislative majority.

Global warming is not the only reason to reduce carbon emissions. The fact is that cost-effective ways to reduce emissions that create new jobs, are good for business, improve our economy, return jobs to the U.S. and Wisconsin, improve land use, improve general air and water quality, reduce our dependence on foreign energy, and are good for our grandchildren should be front and center.

I am a pro-business environmentalist who does not give a damn about global warming. Why? Because I do give a damn about getting things done.

Ken Harwood

Madison/Evansville