Readers React: The Green New Deal will cost a lot. Not switching to renewable energy will cost us everything

To the editor: Those who claim we can’t afford to switch to clean energy never discuss the very expensive external costs of dirty energy. Trillions of dollars spent on war, health problems and environmental problems are swept under a rug. (“AOC’s Green New Deal could finally force the U.S. to get serious about climate change,” editorial, Feb. 8)

I’ve been powering my home, cars and motorcycles on solar energy since 2002. My home system paid for itself around 2010 by offsetting the kilowatt-hours of electricity and gallons of gas I would have had to buy from my utility and the oil companies.

So, since then, and for the rest of my life, I get free, clean energy to power everything. The return on my investment improves every year since it costs very little to maintain solar, and the sunlight is free.

Can someone who claims it will cost trillions of dollars to switch to clean energy please tell me how they arrived at their numbers?

Paul Scott, Santa Monica

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To the editor: The Green New Deal is as much about optimism and new jobs as it is about saving Earth.

There were three letters about the plan published on Sunday. The first was the pessimistic conservative view that offered nothing but ridicule. The second presented the realistic view in offering a solution in the form of a bipartisan bill on controlling greenhouse gas emissions.

The third letter presented the optimistic view, which I share. It pointed out that we put a man on the moon and we had better tax laws during Richard Nixon’s presidency. I especially like the idea of putting former coal miners to work building solar panels and wind turbines.

Don’t put down the Green New Deal. It’s a great start.

Tony Wood, Claremont

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