To the Journal editor:

As the world plods along, change comes ever so slowly what is more shocking than war? Really shocking is the indifference to global warming, climate change and the extremes of weather and environmental destruction and degradation world-wide. The establishment continues failing to deal with, showing little urgency, (willing) to plod along as if time has no meaning in face of possible extinction of all but the planet itself.

War and intervention is the new norm, well-practiced by the American political hegemony, which, in part, includes the military, industrial-congressional complex etc. The recent UN Climate Change Conference or COP 26 has been a COP (Conference of the Parties) 26 Cop Out with more lobbyists representing the fossil fuel industry than actual delegates. COP 26 showed indifference, business as usual and efforts to downplay the perils earth is facing with little urgency by the power elite to adequately fight global warming.

Education has become a weapon of choice in this fight. “… the fossil fuel industry is doing all that it can to undermine education about climate change, which will be the most important fact in the lifetimes of kids in school today.” Bill McKibben, founder 350.org. More than 30 years ago, McKibben wrote THE END OF NATURE. Is that to be THE FATE OF THE EARTH? (Johnathan Schell). And not do forget SILENT SPRING (Rachel Carson, 1962) a wake-up call to environmentalist and the use and toxicity of DDT which has since been banned for agricultural used in the United States (1972).

Spending money to fix storm damage is an endless waste of resources, without fixing the problem of global warming, climate change and the extremes of weather causing the damage that will not end as long as drastic measures are not taken to fight it.

Some progress may have been taken at COP 26 but it largely remains a COP 26 COP OUT. We cannot afford to dawdle as industry, the military and factory farming, among others continue to spew pollutants into the air, ground and our water supply, damage, destroy all elements of the environment for profit and globalization.

At all costs, we must put the needs of life on earth before corporate greed. This is the war we must fight. It is a matter of life on earth.

Sincerely,