CharlotteDems.com Editor’s note: The following letter to the editor by CCDEC Secretary Jane Merriam was published in the Charlotte Sun on Friday, Oct. 4.
Editor:
The concentration levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have risen from 339 parts per million in 1980 to 408 parts per million in 2018. Global sea levels have risen 8 inches since 1880, three of those inches in the last 25 years.
Earth’s surface temperature has risen 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century. Greenland lost an average of 286 million tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2016 while Antarctica lost about 127 million tons of ice per year during the same period.
These are just a few of the scientific facts attributed to climate change, yet, this administration denies that climate change exists. Since January 2017, this administration has rolled back 47 regulations relating to air pollution and emissions, drilling and extractions, infrastructure, animals, toxic substances and water pollution. Thirty-one more are in process.
An estimated 4 million mostly young participants from around the world protested during the Global Climate Strike on Sept. 20. Please do your own research about climate change.
Support the youth of the world in their effort to create genuine alarm about the climate crisis. Support legislation about climate change at local, state and national levels. And, most importantly, vote for candidates that support climate change initiatives.
Jane Merriam
Punta Gorda