Letter: Vote yes on Initiative 732

I have to wonder if readers found the noteworthy connections between several recent Herald articles.

Environmental and commercial fishing groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency over heat-related salmon deaths in the Columbia River, estimated to be 250,000 deaths in 2015. In the same issue NASA reported that the “Earth just broiled to its hottest month in recorded history.” Rising river temperatures from global warming will have a greater impact on salmon extinction than dams. Finally, the recent op-ed on opposing views of Initiative 732, a revenue-neutral tax to reduce carbon emissions.

If you are still unsure on how to vote on I-732, consider the following quiz (adapted from Kathleen Dean Moore).

If your house is on fire, what should you do?

(a) Stare into the flames and say, “this isn’t happening.”

(b) Loudly debate the cause of the fire.

(c) Write a grant to study the best approach for extinguishing the fire.

(d) Appoint commissions to study how to adapt to life in the burned-out rubble.

(e) Put out the fire.

Our house, Earth, is on fire. The op-ed authors advocating “no” on I-732 do not like approach (c). If you select (e), you should vote yes on I-732.

This story was originally published September 1, 2016 at 4:26 AM with the headline "Letter: Vote yes on Initiative 732."