Dear editor,
The debate over the Saratoga Speedway seems to be about whether or not it is too noisy.
But now that it has become obvious that climate change is here and is hitting hard, perhaps the debate should really be about why we are still using fossil fuels for entertainment purposes.
We all know by now that every time we use fossil fuels we produce greenhouse gases that are changing the Earth’s climate. People are dying in England right now due to temperatures that have never been seen there before. Last summer in BC an entire town burned down due to a wildfire exacerbated by record-breaking heat. There are climate change-related disasters making headlines every day, yet most people are going on with their lives as though climate change isn’t even happening.
We also need to leave some fossil fuels for future generations, because solar and wind are not going to completely replace them for a long time, if ever.
We are indoctrinating our youth to believe that it’s fine to use fossil fuels for fun – auto racing is just one example. There’s dirt bikes, jet skis, monster truck shows, road trips, etc. And of course there are the endless ads filling our TV screens, telling us how thrilling it would be to have a new off-road vehicle or a new powerboat, or how our family really needs a vacation in Hawaii this year. The brainwashing to get us to keep using fossil fuels for non-essential purposes is everywhere.
We need to rethink how we use our precious fossil fuels. It’s time to find ways to entertain ourselves that don’t use up the resources that are changing the Earth’s climate, and that future generations are going to need.
Ellen Rainwater,
Cumberland