Editor:
I wish to applaud Santa Monica's city council for voting to provide 100% renewable energy as the default power option for our city starting next February. This decision is particularly timely as it comes on the heels of two momentous reports over the past several weeks containing dire warnings for the future of our planet.
The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its latest report calling out the urgent need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. This was followed by the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine calling on governments of the world to embark on a crash program to develop the technology to remove carbon from the atmosphere. In their opinion, reduction of carbon emissions alone will not be enough to save the planet from the worst effects of climate change.
Hopefully we will see meaningful legislation addressing both of these fronts in the next congress. In the meantime, thank you Santa Monica for taking this big step that sets an important example for cities around the world.
Barry Engelman
Citizens Climate Lobby
