Guest Commentary: Protect planet for the future

Having a teenager taking engineering and science classes at Ramona High School, with a goal of getting into a college STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) program, has been incredibly exciting for our family. There is so much potential in the creation of new technologies that will provide jobs and make our world a better place for future generations.

Well, that was how we felt before the president pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord. Now, the United States has joined countries like Syria and Nicaragua — who felt the accord didn’t go far enough — as the rest of the world moves toward creating new industries and acts responsibly.

While China moves forward with new, renewable, clean technology development, the U.S. will focus on the dwindling coal mine industry. Renewable energy industries, such as solar and wind, are creating jobs nearly 12 times faster than the rest of the economy. In a study published by the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps, these programs have grown at rates of about 20% annually in recent years. Findings represent upwards toward 4.5 million jobs in the U.S., up from 3.4 million in 2011.

Jobs aside, does anyone remember what it was like to drive to L.A. in the late 1960s? Regulations and efforts towards a clean environment should be basic. Bad air was one thing, but climate change is not so easily fixed, especially when you hit a point of impact that is not undoable. When 97% of scientists agree that climate change is real, but the president called it a hoax, I’m concerned. I wish I could trust the president when he speaks about this issue, but the facts don’t support him.

Fortunately, I have faith in the younger generation. The 600 students who attend the Tesla STEM High School in Redmond, Wash., are part of a project to enforce the agreement. They call their group “Schools Under 2C,” a reference to the Paris Accord’s goal of capping global warming at 2 degrees Celsius. As stated by the group’s president, Anne Lee, a 16-year old junior, “We want to show that kids care about climate change.”

Cities and states across the nation will continue to reduce carbon emissions and invest in renewable energy, regardless of the president’s decision. I only hope our District 50 representative, Duncan Hunter, and State Senator Joel Anderson can get to work expanding growth and jobs in renewable, clean energy technologies so that my children can be part of an exciting, growing industry.

Just take a drive around Ramona and see all those solar panels. The effects of being modern, forward thinking people has made this country great. We have a lot of potential right here in our hometown. It’s up to us to protect the planet for future generations and accept that science might know a thing or two.

Susan Conrad, a Ramona resident, chairs Indivisible Ramona.