A letter by Gary Williams in the Feb. 28 Eugene Weekly contends the world’s greatest problem is that the planet has too many people. The rhetoric of individuals like Williams serves as an attempt to shift the blame for global warming and other pressing issues onto poor people and people of color.
In fact, the real culprits are those in the world’s richest countries who are consuming more than their share. Population sizes among the world’s poorest people might be increasing, while they contribute almost nothing to global warming. Some of them do not own a single electric light bulb.
People in the U.S. must accept the fact that, with a few exceptions, they and other people in the richer countries have caused the lion’s share of greenhouse gas emissions. A good place to start would be a bill currently before Congress, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (H.R. 763), which the Citizens’ Climate Lobby is supporting.
The bill would give people incentives to reduce the size of their carbon footprints while protecting low-income people by returning the revenue to households on an equal basis.
Milton Takei
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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