Extreme heat waves coming

The comprehensive Post-Gazette article on heat and wildfires (July 10, “California forest closed as wildfires burn, heat returns”) paints a devastating picture of property loss, suffering and death in the Western United Sates. Unfortunately scenes like this may occur more often in the future.

The just completed World Weather Attribution (www.worldweatherattribution. study of the Pacific Northwest heat wave in late June concludes that human-caused global warming has likely put us on a more dangerous path than previously estimated.

The odds of weather like this occurring in that area would have been 1 in 150,000 before the industrial revolution, but are 1 in 1,000 now, and may be 1 in 10 in 2040 if the earth warms another 1.5 degrees F.

The most effective way to stop or slow this trend is to put a price on carbon. The revenue neutral Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, H.R. 2307, features a gradually rising fee at the production source and returns a monthly dividend equally to all Americans.

Businesses and individuals will have an increasing incentive to find the lowest carbon energy opportunities and solutions.

I encourage U.S. Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, RPeters, Connor Lamb, D-Mt. Lebanon, and Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, to work together to help the U.S. achieve the greenhouse gas reduction needed to solve this crisis.

ED HYDE Forest Hills The writer is a member of

Citizens Climate Lobby - Pittsburgh