Letter: I disagree with TCH on I-1631

Dear editors of the Tri-City Herald: I disagree with your decision to promote voting ‘NO’ on Initiative 1631. While the concerns of the effects on middle- and lower-class families are very real, the situation at hand is extremely pressing. The recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has brought to our attention just how terrible the effects might be. We’ve known for a while that our wasteful ways are affecting our earth, but not many realized the effects could be so soon. Carol Davenport of the New York Times reveals that there could be “a world of worsening food shortages and wildfires, and a mass die-off of coral reefs as soon as 2040.” If we continue to have laws that allow us to treat the world with such disregard for life, we are going to end up creating a world of even worse poverty. Some parts of the world will be unlivable, and this will cause a displacement of people. In my opinion, people’s homes being destroyed by disasters or (them) dying from extreme temperatures (is more important) than gas prices that are too high. Please consider encouraging citizens to vote ‘YES’ for I-1631 to avoid mass destruction in the future.

This story was originally published October 23, 2018 at 10:38 PM.