Regardless of cause of climate change we must adapt

On Sept. 6, 2016, there was an article in the Herald announcing that a U.S. congressman was the new director of NASA. The article stated that the congressman was skeptical that climate change was caused by humans. However, it is largely irrelevant whether climate change is/was due to natural causes or our industrialization of the planet.

Regardless of cause, we still need to change the way we live our lives if we hope to reduce the very negative impacts on us and our descendants. That is, we need to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide each of us contributes to the air we breathe.

More specifically we should:

Use public transportation whenever possible.

Carpool rather than drive alone.

Buy and drive smaller cars that maximize our fuel efficiency.

Live closer to our jobs.

Live closer to essential services such as grocery stores and banks.

Walk rather than drive for trips shorter than one or two miles (weather permitting).

Enjoy less intensive forms of recreation such as hiking and biking.

Plant trees and shrubs rather than grass.

Avoid removing trees and shrubs as much as possible.

I generally do not tell people how to live their lives. So I apologize if I offended anyone. If I did, I still I hope you will consider my suggestions.

Dan Mathias

Everett

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