Letters

This week, the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, predicted that we have now entered the era of global boiling — we are now beyond global warming. His remarks were horrifying and expressed a dire warning to humans to stop behaving in ways that will increase this trend.

None of us living on the East Coast could even disagree: We felt the heat increase, noticed how our usually fresh air has been compromised by smoke, realized that the ocean temperature is way too warm too soon. And then there are the beach closings due to the worry about sharks coming too close to shore.

In psychological terms, the two most primitive defense mechanisms are avoidance and denial. They’re the adult equivalent of a child shutting their eyes or blocking their ears when they don’t want to see or hear what you’re saying. It seems apparent that as enlightened as we are on the East Coast, and especially in this area, many grownups are regularly using these defenses when it comes to our climate and our effect on the Earth.

People are still using contaminants on their lawns and don’t seem to be bothered by those little yellow signs that are a dead giveaway that they can’t bother to choose organic or nontoxic fertilizers.

People routinely forget to lower their air conditioners even when they’re not at home, so they use way too much energy unnecessarily.

New houses and major renovations are still being built without solar panels, and without regard for how cost-efficient they are.

Electric vehicles are still not even considered by most individuals seeking to buy a new car. Most people don’t even bother finding out if their distorted beliefs about electric vehicles not being an option for them are even correct.

And I could go on and on. Buy local, stop receiving all your bills by paper, invest in renewable energy stocks, recycle diligently. Blah, blah, blah. And I will be accused of sounding preachy. But for those who don’t want to hear it, I will accuse you of using the defenses of denial and avoidance. Those two primitive defenses always result in the most dire and problematic consequences — and in this case, those consequences will affect us all.

Paula Angelone, Ph.D.

Southampton Village