Letter to the Editor: It’s time to commit to 100% clean energy
Our friends in the West are on fire. The Atlantic is raging and ripping through its neighboring states down south. Wisconsin communities across the state are coal-congested by air-polluting power plants powered by fossil fuels. And in recent years, our state has suffered from record flooding due to rapid climate change. The effects of climate change are much too real. And our energy dependence on fossil fuels continues to make matters even worse. By refusing to switch to 100% clean energy, we are refusing to put out these fires, stop these floods, and save our own people from long-lasting illness. 2020 has told us we are too late. Time is ticking and it’s only getting worse. It’s time to do what we can to prevent our home from a further hell. It’s time to commit to 100% clean energy Although the University has taken steps to reduce its ecological footprint —i ncluding the implementation of a 2006 We Conserve program, and the establishment of The Office of Sustainability — Not nearly enough has been done to curb the threat of climate change. Science is telling us that we cannot simply reduce fossil fuel usage—we must eliminate it. Unfortunately for Science, UW-Madison has refused to do so. And despite their claims that “No other university has its roots more deeply embedded in an ethos of conservation and stewardship," the UW is still a major contributor to the energy problem. All of the following are true: