Letter to the editor: Green New Deal is ill-advised

Although some experts contend “global warming and cooling” are cyclical over long periods of time, most scientists indicate that global warming is a real and critical issue that needs addressed now. Accordingly, the Green New Deal was recently unveiled and advocates elimination of (or at least 50% reductions in) sources of CO2, methane and other greenhouse gases within 12 years.

Many Democrats are on board with the extreme, unattainable and prohibitively expensive objectives of the plan, but nothing has been said about required participation of other nations. Although the United States is the leading “per capita” contributor of greenhouse gases, China is No. 1 and the leading overall (total) contributor of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, emitting nearly twice that of No. 2 U.S. India is No. 3, Russia No. 4 and Japan No. 5, along with all other nations to a lesser extent.

Reduction or even total elimination of these emissions by the United States will do very little overall without the participation of numerous other nations. Therefore, the apparent urgent and immediate unilateral action being proposed by the Democrats for the U.S. is both premature and ill-advised.

John Lapina

Hempfield