The climate, actual and political

To the editor:

I read with interest the Chief article chronicling the plight of Vermont farmer Micah Barritt, who saw all of his hard work and $250,000 worth of crops disappear over the course of a few hours (The Chief, July 28).  It reminded me of conversations I had with my counterparts at the Department of Environmental Protection during my last years of service at the Department of Transportation.

What many likely don’t know is that the NYC storm sewer system is designed to handle a “five year” storm — a rain event expected to occur once every five years on average — with older parts only able to handle “three year” storms. Unfortunately, these storm designations are outdated, having been set in the 1950’s. In reality, what was once a five-year storm now occurs several times each year, with larger 100-year storms, like the one that hit Vermont this year, predicted to become annual events in the Northeast, according to research scientists at Princeton and MIT.

The consequences are obvious; extreme flooding has become and will continue to be commonplace. The same is true for drought, wildfires and dangerously high summer temperatures. July 2023 is the hottest month on record, with 100+ degree temperatures stretching across the entire northern hemisphere. In many areas, like the northern U.S. tier, periodic smoke-filled, unsafe air quality drove residents indoors or forced them to wear masks.

Yet, GOP national and local leaders continue to block efforts to limit fossil fuel use, the leading cause of climate change, claiming such measures will harm the economy. I would love to see one of these deniers look Micah Barritt in the eye and say that. For this reason alone, no climate change denier or obstructionist should ever hold elected office. 

Joseph Cannisi