Letters: With global warming, is it safe to have kids?

ISSUE | ENVIRONMENT

Safe to have kids?

It's normal for a 21-year-old like me to be stressed about my future - will I get a job, and what am I doing with my life? But it's not normal for people like me to be scared about the future of the planet.

Carbon dioxide levels have reached 400 parts per million in Antarctica, which had been the last place on Earth to remain under that historic threshold. Frighteningly, that extremely high level of the greenhouse gas was first hit only three years ago, meaning climate change is advancing rapidly and is affecting the entire planet - even places that humans do not inhabit.

It would be impossible to lower this unprecedented level of carbon dioxide within our lifetimes even if fossil-fuel emissions could be cut drastically, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. But instead of being reduced, global consumption of fossil fuels is increasing.

News like this keeps me up at night and makes me wonder whether I should have children. We need to tackle climate change and greenhouse-gas emissions from fossil fuels now so that my children won't worry about the fate of the world when they are 21.

|Helena Bader, Erwinna, hbader@oberlin.edu

Eliminate fracking

An important step for environmental change was taken earlier this month, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned the disposal of fracking waste at public sewage plants. This will eliminate the chance for toxins to contaminate drinking water. Residents, especially those in areas where fracking waste has affected everyday life, will no longer need to fear using the water flowing from their faucets.

Although this is a step in the right direction, the work is far from over. Relocating the fracking waste does not eliminate it. The wastewater contains contaminants that do not degrade over time. The dissolved solids, chemicals, and radioactive materials stay in the ground and can seep into important waterways.

We need to eliminate fracking and focus on renewable forms of energy to ensure that people are getting energy without getting sick.

|Emily Soll, Blue Bell, 14esoll1@gmail.com