My letter in the July 28, 2021 Jerusalem Post on climate threats

Whither the weather? 

Kol hakavod for your editorial “A bigger step needed” (July 27), which cogently argued that “Israel should step up its game” in responding to climate change. 

Your article “Summer of disaster: Extreme weather wreaks havoc worldwide as climate change bears down,” (July 25) should convince everyone that the world is already suffering greatly from climate change.  It seems like there are almost daily reports of severe heat waves, droughts, wildfires, storms, floods and other effects of climate change. Within about a week, there were reports of deadly floods in Western Europe, China, and India. There are many wildfires now even in Siberia and smoke from the severe wildfires in California and other western US states is reaching the US east coast.Unfortunately, climate experts are predicting that climate conditions are likely to get far worse, unless major positive changes soon occur. Averting a climate catastrophe must become a central focus for civilization today.

Therefore, it was great to read “Gov’t to okay plan to combat change” (July 26) indicating plans to “significantly reduce carbon emissions in Israel by 2050.” As environmental minister Tamar Zandberg said, “This is a historic moment for the health and the environment of people today and future generations.”

RICHARD H. SCHWARTZ, PH.D.Professor Emeritus, College of Staten Island.

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