Letters to the Editor: Australia and the U.S. need to oust their climate-destroying leaders

To the editor: I applaud Evan Karlik for his insightful comparison of Australia and the United States as it relates to wildfires, climate change and our respective leaders’ obliviousness and lack of action.

In fact, it’s hard to use the word “leader” when talking about President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, since that word usually refers to an individual able to respond to an emergency.

Neither man is doing so. They both continue to prioritize the fossil fuel industry ahead of their people. What will it take to get these two out of office?

Marilyn Judson, Santa Monica

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To the editor: The U.S. concern over China’s increasing influence in the Pacific is not difficult to understand.

China, one of the first signers of the Paris climate agreement, is fighting global warming by aiding countries in and around the Pacific Rim that are combating sea level rise. In contrast, the U.S. under Trump rejects climate science and ignores life imperiled by land that is effectively sinking.

It’s high time that America changes its policy toward Pacific nations and becomes a leader in stopping global warming.

Gerald Staack, Santa Clarita

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To the editor: Karlik is right. Australia today is a leading indicator of the global crisis being generated by man-made climate change.

Willful ignorance like that of Australia’s prime minister or our own president accelerates the catastrophe clearly unfolding. The world cannot wait until the destruction overwhelms humans’ ability to change course. Pray for divine intervention, if you wish.

But the best way to address this threat to the future of humanity is to set a price on carbon to correct for our reliance on cheap energy. Otherwise, the bill will come due in the form of unbreathable air, drowning cities and farms, burning forests and widespread human misery.

Carl Selkin, Pasadena