Underestimating climate change

Re “Climate plan called unrealistic,” May 5

“It would cause a global recession” -- this is the White House response to the impending calamity of uncontrolled global warming.

The fact that rising seas flooding the world’s coastal cities, years or decades-long droughts, horrendous storms, killer heat waves, mass starvation and the spread of disease would possibly reduce the world’s gross domestic product evidently never enters the collective thoughts of the Bush administration. It is taking the same approach to climate change that it took to the CIA’s warning before 9/11 and the generals’ warning before the Iraq invasion.

We need leadership with vision, not lame excuses and political games, to save this planet for our grandkids.

DAVID PERLMAN

Laguna Beach

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This latest report clearly places a moral choice before humanity: What do we value most, the Earth we live on or prosperity? What good is prosperity in the face of the environmental degradation and calamities caused by global warming?

We cannot be wasting precious time debating who should institute caps on greenhouse gases; we have to act now. All that matters is that pollution is reduced, not whether the reduction program is fair or not.

For the Bush administration to undermine efforts to act on global warming is devastating. The technology is here; we can do it. Why can’t new homes be mandated to have at least some solar panels on the roofs, just like fire-retardant roofs are mandated in California? Where is our electric car?

MARY CLUMECK

Santa Ana