Facing Climate Conditions

Letter to Richmond Times-Dispatch. Describes how conditions in Colorado (fires, heat, drought) show how the climate is changing.

The recent Associated Press stories about the devastating winter grassland fire crisis in Colorado draw attention to a rough ride ahead. Who could have imagined a December wildfire where there is usually a foot of snow on the ground?

As a high school student, it seems clear to me that our disregard for climate change will pave a road to doom. The wet spring in Colorado was followed by heat and dryness from June to December, ending in 100 mph winds and a fire disaster in the middle of winter.

Although Colorado is on the other side of the United States, both Virginia and Colorado will eventually face the unfriendly reality of severe climate change.

We must enact a carbon tax on fossil fuels. We can transition from a fossil fuel-based energy system to one that is renewable. Clinging to fossil fuels is not working.

Nathan Poovathukaran.