From Nathan Dombeck

Janesville

To the Editor:

The laws of thermodynamics remain undefeated. Combusting the stored energy of fossil fuels that took millions of years to form is releasing a terrifying amount of planet-warming gases in a matter of decades. A warmer atmosphere can store more fluid; droughts happen. A warmer atmosphere can store more potential energy; storms happen. Drought-stricken land is a tinderbox waiting for that lightning storm to set it off.

Yet the staggering amounts of fire across the world, pouring literal tons of smoke into our atmosphere as well as our lungs and the bodies of our loved ones, don’t seem to faze our political leaders. President Trump met with oil and gas industry execs 6 months before his last election day and solicited their money in exchange for political favors. Doug Burgum is our Secretary of the Interior, ostensibly tasked with protecting our public lands, but in reality pursuing an ‘energy dominance’ agenda hellbent on extracting fossil fuels from our lands. The Trump Administration is even touting the benefits of ‘clean coal’, a complete nonsense term that should evoke a double take every time you hear it, and pushing hard to re-open inefficient and polluting coal plants.

Where is the political will from our leaders to reject the fossil fuel status quo, and embrace preservation and restoration of public lands, clean energy, and the solutions we already have at hand?