Regarding the article “Scattered storms down trees, spur power outages amid heat wave” (June 17, TribLive): Growing up in western New York in the 1970s and ’80s, not far from the Allegheny River, central air conditioning was an unheard-of luxury, and rarely needed.
My parents now have central air in my hometown. Heat waves are longer and hotter. When I see news about storms knocking out power during a heat wave in the Pittsburgh area, I worry for older folks like them who suffer with the heat.
These changes are not some natural cycle. We have known that carbon dioxide traps heat since the 1800s, and there is no doubt that the extra CO2 in our atmosphere now is the result of burning fossil fuels.
How much hotter can it get in the Allegheny River watershed? If we vote in November for the candidate who has promised to gut emissions-reduction policies in return for $1 billion in campaign contributions, we will surely find out. If we show up and vote for President Biden, we can work for a future with less extremes.
Mary Memmott
Framingham, Mass.