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One need only look around to see a significant increase in global temperatures, flooding, wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes and more. There is one political party that promotes the increased use of fossil fuels and more gas and oil pipelines, and at least one state, Florida, has banned the use of the term “climate change” in government publications. In the interest of increased profits for gas and oil companies, this party has put its collective head in the sand, ignoring the existential threat to our planet.
The other guys are doing as much as possible, given the constraints of a divided government, to promote alternative power sources such as wind and solar that do not increase the temperature of our planet.
If voters want to leave a livable planet to their children and grandchildren, they need to vote for the other guys.
— David Grossman, Chicago
It gets weirder and weirder
I don’t know how much weirder it can get, but nothing surprises me anymore. We are experiencing the highest temperatures on record. Huge wildfires. Torrential rains. Anyone who is a climate change denier must be living in an alternative universe.
Then there’s Donald Trump. Enough said. He’s still getting too much press coverage for his antics, which are getting even more bizarre. However, except for Chris Christie, no other Republican candidate wants to challenge him or Ron DeSantis on each man’s extremist views.
The latest is the plan to consolidate power in the presidency. Are we 1930s Germany or 2023 America? Republicans everywhere have succumbed to these fringe ideologies. I’m a registered Republican, an endangered species in Illinois.
Congress is dysfunctional, which isn’t surprising but sad. I still don’t know what we can do about the record mass shootings.
We are a very polarized society today. I’m sure the Founding Fathers would be turning over in their respective graves if they could see us as we are. All this, and we’re coming up on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, just three years away.
— Charles Wilt, Cary
Pritzker, Dems owe us action
Articles in the Tribune make me wonder when Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Democrats have abandoned the environment. Air quality is compromised by ozone and wildfire smoke, the country is in a stifling heat wave, there are water shortages in the Southwest, everyone pretty much agrees climate change is a problem and yet there are stories on projects that threaten the environment.
Adding two toll lanes to Interstate 55 would increase traffic congestion and air pollution. Working-class neighborhoods like Little Village, already suffering from air quality issues, would be further put at risk. This is a bad idea.
How can the state even allow the high-risk drilling project in central Illinois to store tons of carbon dioxide underground? Drillers have worked 24 hours a day, and according to the Tribune (“‘They’ve created chaos,’” July 24), farm families living right across the road were not informed nor consulted. There are significant safety issues with pipelines transporting carbon dioxide from all over the country to be stored in Illinois.
And then there is the Lake County Forest Preserve District plan to give 52 acres of open space in the Waukegan Savanna to create an extended runway with a price tag of more than $180 million for a handful of corporate jets, which produce 14 times more pollution per passenger than commercial passenger planes. And at the same time, the governor and Democratic majorities in the legislature didn’t approve converting the abandoned Route 53 right of way into a state park, which would improve air quality.
I urge Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Democratic Party to refocus on the core principles of the party, stand up for the environment and not bow to big corporate and big labor interests. All these anti-environment projects should be stopped right now.
— Bill Morris, retired Democratic state senator and mayor of Waukegan
Hunger crises need our help
Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal with Ukraine is the latest blow to the world’s hungry. This alarming news comes after the new United Nations report showing 122 million more people are facing hunger worldwide since 2019.
With hunger worsening, everyone needs to take action from world leaders to citizens. Russia must rejoin the grain deal, which allowed food from Ukraine to be safely shipped to countries that depend on it. Ukraine’s massive supply of grain has been at risk since Russia’s brutal invasion began last year.
With so many nations in severe hunger emergencies, we cannot afford to be losing food supplies. This year’s United Nations State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report revealed around 735 million people are currently facing hunger, compared with 613 million in 2019. Conflicts, drought caused by climate change, the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and high food prices have all put more people into the pit of hunger.
Chicago Tribune Opinion
But what’s making it worse is the lack of resources to combat hunger. Just recently, the U.N. World Food Program, or WFP, announced reductions in food aid to West Africa, Haiti and refugees in the Middle East because of low funding. WFP depends on voluntary donations from governments and the public.
I urge readers to tell Congress to support funding increases for global food aid. Host a hunger relief event to educate and encourage others to join you.
You can also urge Congress to support the Farm Bill and reauthorize the Food for Peace program, which feeds the hungry and promotes peace. A critical aspect of Food for Peace is funding the peanut paste Plumpy’Nut that saves children from deadly malnutrition. Reauthorization of the Farm Bill should also include the McGovern-Dole program that provides school meals in impoverished countries.
The only path to a world at peace is by defeating hunger, and each of us can lead in making this noble cause happen.
— William Lambers, Cincinnati, Ohio
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