The Day

Don’t waste time, repair America’s aging infrastruc­ture

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It blows my mind when television journalist­s and weather people compliment the warm winter we’ve had. It’s a good thing there’s been little or no injuries from snow removal or slipping on ice and that heating bills are lower. But this warmth is clearly caused from climate change. Florida’s coastline is flooded every high tide. Venice, Italy is having 50-year floods every year and Arctic and Antarctic ice is shrinking faster than expected.

Scientists report that Long Island Sound will rise two feet by 2050. Of course, we’ll adapt, but climate change is not just raising the water. It’s creating more storms, droughts and other natural catastroph­es and disturbing wildlife. Scientists report that we can’t stop climate change, just slow it down so that the planet’s fauna and plant life can have more time to adapt.

Buying time will also give humanity a chance to repair and improve infrastruc­ture, such as the bridges, railways, ports, highways and everything else. Since 2016, President Trump campaigned to rebuild the infrastruc­ture but after finding out how much it will cost, it has stalled. Why doesn’t Trump and all his super-rich buddies he gave tax breaks to invest in America’s infrastruc­ture? Steven A. Birt Groton

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