Letters to the Editor: Want to act on climate change? Don’t buy a gas-powered car

To the editor: As the heat in our atmosphere increases, it is inevitable that some scientists will react by becoming advocates for policy changes. How could they not?

While waiting for our leaders to take action, we citizens can do our part by eliminating our use of fossil fuels.

In the past decade, electric vehicles have become affordable to millions, and renewable energy became cheaper than dirty electricity. Switching your home’s electricity is as easy as going online to your utility account and choosing the green option.

Changing vehicles will take longer, but we can speed the transition by reducing the number of new gas-burning cars sold. The only new car that you should buy is an electric vehicle. Until you can afford one, just keep your current car or buy a used hybrid and wait.

Losing sales will compel the auto industry to switch faster than any other action.

Paul Scott, Santa Monica

The writer is co-founder of the electric vehicle advocacy group Plug-In America.

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To the editor: I can understand the reluctance of scientists to speak up about climate change for fear they will be seen as partisan. But there comes a point when the societal implications of research overwhelm the need for intellectual purity.

As scientist Steve Ghan pointed out, when government fails to act, it falls to scientists and other citizens to advocate for change. The policy Ghan supports, carbon fee and dividend, is an excellent plan.

David Salahi, Laguna Niguel