Why is it that, whenever our local newspapers sing the praises of the fossil fuel industry, climate change is never mentioned? A brief look at today’s national news reveals that temperatures have risen above 125 degrees in Pakistan. That severe storms disrupted Memorial Day travel here in the U.S., killed 23, and left hundreds of thousands without power. And that, according to experts, the ultimate damage from planetary climate change “will be even worse than [we] thought.”

Why is it that, when the industry is promoted as essential for our stability and well being, the connection is never made between the disruptions of climate change and the increasing levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere? Our CO2 levels have risen from 280 parts per million to the unprecedented 426 ppm of today, due largely to the burning of fossil fuels. And those concentrations continue to rise alarmingly.

Why is it that, when oil and gas extraction is touted as the basis for our state pride, Pennsylvania’s contribution to our climate’s instability is never mentioned? Without help from anyone, our state can now claim the dubious honor of contributing a full one percent to global carbon emissions.

And why is it that, when the industry is lauded for “fulfilling the obligations of our . . . public and environmental safety,” its methane leaks, toxic spills, emission exceedances, profligate waste and, in general, its damage to both human and environmental health are never mentioned?

Real long-term solutions to our climate crisis do not ignore the impacts of climate change and the fossil fuel industry’s responsibility for perpetuating that crisis. If we are, in fact, interested in working together to find long-term solutions, it is essential that our news media face these facts and connect the dots.

KAREN ELIAS

Lock Haven

Submitted by Virtual Newsroom