To the Editor:
The piece in your May edition, Climate Collides with Coronavirus, was puzzling in that its title implies the climate crisis collided with the pandemic.
When there’s a collision it’s something where one force confronts some immovable object. Bad things happen when that occurs.
In the case of climate change and the pandemic, no such collision occurred. Rather, they appear complementary, at least on the surface, which the quote from Greta Thunberg supports.
Turning to the article’s main focus, reducing CO2 emissions, the pandemic illustrates the extraordinary effort it’ll take to cut CO2 (not to mention, methane, and even more toxic emissions).
Sure, the environmental community believes that every use of fossil fuels worldwide can be eliminated, if not immediately, at least darn soon. While I consider myself part of the environmental community, I don’t share that view.
The critical question remains: how will people across the entire planet shift their ways of living to get climate change under control?
If the pandemic has shown us anything regarding climate change, it’s that making a dent in it will take super human effort.
Robert J. Procter, Ph.D.
To the Editor:
With opposition growing for the hopelessly convoluted Residential Infill Project (RIP) and developers pushing for a so-called Deeper Affordability Bonus, Portland City Council should let voters decide the destiny and density of Portland neighborhoods.
RIP was pushed by ex-builder, lobbyist and ex-Mayor Hales and trumpeted by developers as a way to create “affordable” housing along transportation corridors.
The concept has now been perverted into something completely different: picture that great old bungalow next door bulldozed, trees and all, and a blockhouse six-plex plopped down in its place.
Face it, developers do this and then move on. Experts have testified that RIP will have little or no effect on affordability.
While we still have a democracy, let’s all urge City Council to give Portlanders a vote on this issue in November 2020.
If the Council won’t do this, Portland voters need to ask why.
Frank DiMarco
Editor’s note: Letters to the Editor should be less than 300 words and The SE Examiner reserves the right to edit them for length or content.