Letters to the Editor: Pausing environmental requirements to save money on housing now means we'll pay later
To the editor: Elected officials get political benefits from demonstrating generosity to victims of disasters ("California should move faster on clean energy. Some lawmakers want to take a break," April 10). Within the context of climate change, this can prove short-sighted, even counterproductive. Sadly, the level of general understanding of the climate emergency is insufficient to protect and defend long-term legislation when it conflicts with short-term, anti-climate demands. This is particularly true when people are grieving the loss of a home — or an entire neighborhood.
I credit columnist Sammy Roth for bravely going where his deep understanding inexorably leads him. Existing regulations already are insufficient to meet the state's emissions goals. Meanwhile, the financial benefits of Assembly Bill 306 to homeowners, if any, is paltry compared to the long-term costs of increased air pollution (unhealthy), increased CO2 emissions (warming), sluggish electrification (slowed transition to clean energy) and decades of energy-inefficient new and existing homes (wasted resources).
The concept of affordability has to broaden to include the cost of other neighborhoods going up in smoke, some for a second time. There is no time left for procrastinating on the mandate that the climate emergency represents. Elected officials should stand behind their recently passed, forward-thinking climate legislation.
Gary Stewart, Laguna Beach
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To the editor: Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas is on the wrong track, if he thinks he can help California housing costs with a six-year pause on new clean energy rules. I have news for him: Global warming is caused by greenhouse gas emissions, and stopping clean energy rules makes the problem even worse later. Rivas needs to find other savings in housing costs. These could include building smaller houses and apartments at greater densities. Better city planning is also needed, starting with public transportation. Global warming is immune to our concerns about lowering housing costs.
Carl Mariz, Irvine
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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