In his letter (James Phillips, 6/20) criticizing my opinion piece on the Green New Deal (“Green New Deal is a Must,” 6/6), Mr. Phillips is long on angry rhetoric but cannot muster a single fact or piece of evidence for his position. He can only restate the contrarian position that climate change is not happening (much) and may not be due to human activity.
But in the face of the overwhelming scientific and observable evidence, those who deny the reality and peril of human-caused climate change are indeed out of touch with reality.
Mr. Phillips adopts the alt-right victim stance, declaring a conspiracy by cultural elites to foist socialism on ordinary Americans. A majority of those ordinary Americans, however, understand that climate change is a serious problem and the government should do “a great deal or a lot” to resolve it (July, 2018 ABC News poll.)
The small but powerful group of climate deniers and their fossil fuel allies continue to block effective climate action, putting us all at serious risk as time runs out. The threat to life on this planet builds with each passing day.
Can we as a species find a way to work out our differences to ensure our survival and protect life for generations to come?
Chuck Areford
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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