Los Angeles Times

De-carbonize by doing this

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Re “Rapid decarboniz­ation is a fantasy, energy historian says,” Sept. 5

Vaclav Smil is portrayed as “a tool of Big Oil” because his messaging is similar to that of fossil-fuel interests: Wasteful individual lifestyles caused the climate crisis, nothing the U.S. does matters because of what China and India are doing, and we must rely on slow, incrementa­l progress.

Smil identifies himself as a scientist yet disregards the conclusion of the world’s most eminent climate scientists that the only obstacles to transition­ing to clean energy are political. Affordable renewable energy is already available to replace fossil fuels. All that’s needed is political will.

Lowering carbon footprints will not halve emissions by 2030 nor keep the planet from exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming.

Rapid decarboniz­ation is not a fantasy. It can be achieved by making the political decision to tax coal, oil and gas companies for their carbon pollution. Caroline Kerr Taylor

Santa Barbara

I found Smil’s brutal honesty about climate change refreshing. His is not the voice of doom, and he is no apologist for the oil industry.

He points to the dominance of fossil fuels in developed society and acknowledg­es that changing the status quo will be difficult. His point about electric cars only being as clean as the fuel that charged up the battery is well-taken.

His recommenda­tions not to waste food, not to live in oversized, inefficien­t homes and not to engage in long commutes are sensible. He is promoting a simpler, more humble life, within the planet’s means.

Note that he doesn’t say our inertia on fossil fuels is impossible to overcome, just that it will take slow but relentless progress. So, let’s get to work.

Gary Stewart Laguna Beach

Has Smil ever read census-tract data on asthma in the poorest parts of Los Angeles? You know how they count those numbers? By visits to the emergency room.

Think about that. It means someone can’t breathe. Imagine being the mother of a child living next to the Alameda Corridor rushing that child to the ER because they can’t breathe.

The world is shifting to EVs not only because they can be driven on renewable energy, which is cheaper than any time in our history. We drive them because children can’t breathe.

Smil should look up car exhaust, which this interview said nothing about. Zan Dubin-Scott

Santa Monica The writer is co-founder of National Drive Electric Week.

 ?? Luis Sinco Los Angeles Times ?? TRAFFIC moves on the 405 Freeway in Long Beach on Sept. 2 amid a record-breaking heat wave.
Luis Sinco Los Angeles Times TRAFFIC moves on the 405 Freeway in Long Beach on Sept. 2 amid a record-breaking heat wave.

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