Letters 05-18-2015
May 17, 2015
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Will History Repeat Itself?
What large patterns or trends can guide our ideas about the next century? We can look at the history of Easter Island as a warning about the dangers of a future crisis. It was settled about 1500 years ago by 20-30 colonists. The population grew to about 7,000 and the village chiefs began building the large stone figures for which the island is famous. About 500 years ago, their society suddenly collapsed in warfare, disease, and famine.
The stone figures were carved in the island’s single quarry and moved on rollers made from trees. As villages competed to build more statures, more trees were cut down until eventually none were left. That meant no wood for boats, houses, or fuel. Islanders must have seen disaster coming as they felled the last trees, but they felled nevertheless. Could modern consumption patterns cause a similar crisis but on a global scale?
Like the Easter Islanders just before their crash, we face some ominous trends. Populations are rising fast, carbon emissions threaten rapid climate change, most fisheries are in decline, reserves of freshwater are shrinking, and rates of extinction are higher than for many millions of years.
Ronald Marshall, Petoskey
Applauding Michigan’s Renewable Standards
Recently, state legislators introduced dueling initiatives that would impact the state’s existing Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) expiring at the end of the year very differently. One initiative seeks to double the state’s RPS, while the other would eliminate it completely. As debate on each package heats up, it’s time to set the record straight: the RPS has been good for Michigan’s environment and economy and the consequences will be hurtful if we allow it to expire.
The RPS has attracted an influx of investments: $2.9 billion from renewable energy. Additionally, efficiency has yielded nearly $4 for every $1 spent. Expanding Michigan’s clean energy production could support nearly 21,000 jobs in manufacturing alone by 2020. Without the RPS, we stand to lose ground in the pursuit of growing the state’s clean energy economy.
Now is the time to stand up for the RPS and all that it has brought to the state. I support the state’s existing RPS and I ask lawmakers to seek new ways to improve it, not eliminate it.
Roxann Dean, Onaway