To the Editor:
I am writing this letter in response to the full page advertisement written by Barbara Schlesinger in the August 30 edition of the MV Times. Ms. Schlesinger went to great lengths in arguing her point as to why the Allen Farm should not be allowed to have a wind turbine on its property, quoting legislation and zoning bylaws. She says that it ruins her view of the South Shore and will reduce the value of their property (the picture in The Times doesn’t prove to me that her view is ruined).
We live in a time that many important steps to save the future of our planet must be taken. All scientific facts point to the effect our lifestyle is having on climate change. Our ever increasing use of fossil fuels to create energy is heating up the atmosphere causing record levels of heat, drought conditions through much of our own country, and increased frequency and intensity of storms.
Aside from the climate change argument, there is the fact that fossil fuels are dirty, and harvesting them can be dangerous to both humans and the environment. Take for one small example, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Not only did the leaking oil kill vast numbers of wildlife and soil much of the coastline, but it also affected thousands of people’s livelihoods. This is just one example of spills that have happened through the years, Exxon Valdez ring a bell?
Another example of fossil fuels’ danger and damage to life is coal mining. Look at the hundreds of coal miners killed in mining accidents through the years. Thousands of miners suffer and die from respiratory ailments. Burning coal to produce electricity is a major contributor to CO2 emissions and is just plain dirty.
Then there is the nuclear power problem. While nuclear power is “clean” power, it is a ticking time bomb of radioactivity. There is no safe way to dispose of the byproducts, and most of the reactors in this country are past their initial safe operating life expectancy. Realizing the risks involved in nuclear power, we’ve built no new reactors in this country since the near core meltdown at Three Mile Island. There is also the possibility of natural disasters causing damage to reactors, as in the Fukushima tragedy.
This country needs to wake up and start taking steps toward a green energy future. This needs to happen on a grand scale, as well as small steps taken by individuals who understand the need for change is now. I applaud and support the initiative that Clarissa and the Allen Farm have taken. May there be many more willing to step up and do the right thing for us and the future, so that our children and their children may have a chance to live in a better world.
Bill Bridwell
Oak Bluffs
