Letters

Wildfires, hurricanes, heat, rising seas, floods, drought, melting ice caps — the consequences of global warming are here. We have one chance to tackle these challenges: reduce carbon emissions by transitioning away from polluting fossil fuels to an economy powered by renewable energy sources. But that time is right now.

The Republican Party is an obstacle to environmental change. Even in the face of disasters, their national climate plan, Project 2025, calls for more drilling, increased use of fossil fuels and less money for clean energy. In last month’s Republican presidential primary debate, no candidate raised their hand when asked if they believed that human behavior contributes to climate change.

Why such a backward approach? Because after decades of pushing climate lies, most of their voters are climate change deniers. In an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, 70 percent of Republicans said the climate crisis was a minor threat or no threat at all.

Democratic elected officials and candidates are committed to protecting our environment and to addressing the climate crisis. Unlike Republicans, they are supported by their voters. In that same poll, 90 percent of Democrats and a majority of independents called climate change a major threat.

Understanding and addressing this threat is critical for Long Island. A study by Moody’s Analytics lists the top 10 most climate-endangered locations in the United States. Long Island is No. 4.

We cannot afford to waste time on Republican candidates who vote against our interests when it comes to the environment. Look at the recent vote in the Suffolk County Legislature, where the Republican majority denied voters a ballot referendum on protecting clean water. They defeated it because they feared it would increase Democratic turnout.

For this and so many other reasons, it is critical this fall to elect Southampton Town Trustee Ann Welker, a proven advocate for the environment, to the County Legislature.

Southampton Democrats have instituted policies that earned our town the New York State-designated status “Smart Climate Community”; policies such as replacing incandescent streetlights with LED lights and Community Choice Aggregation to allow plugging into clean energy systems. To continue this progress, it is imperative to elect Democrats running for the Town Board and Board of Trustees this fall.

Westhampton Beach Mayor Maria Moore, the Democratic candidate for Southampton Town supervisor, will be a leader on these issues. As mayor, she installed electric charging stations and successfully created a sewer hookup to Gabreski that will improve water quality, which means less carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming.

On November 7, elect Ann Welker, Maria Moore and all the Democrats on the ballot. They have proven their commitment to the challenges of climate change. The future of our island depends on it.

Barbara Weber-Floyd

Westhampton Beach