To the editor:

I’ve noticed that Mr. Phil Drietz is pretty good at picking and choosing information to fit his chosen narrative. His latest letter (Dec. 1) is no exception, and in doing so he fails to communicate the full impacts the excessive use of fossil fuels has on us, our environment and our world.

So, what happens when sulfates, nitrates, heavy metals and other particles created by burning coal end up in the atmosphere and environment? Well, some of those particles get into the human body by breathing polluted air, drinking contaminated water and eating contaminated food grown from contaminated soil and water, all of which have been shown to cause health problems like disease, cancer and birth defects. Many of the particles end up mixing with other gases in our atmosphere, like water vapor, and form acids. When this mixture falls as precipitation it creates an event known as acid rain.

It should surprise no one that acid rain is extremely harmful in many ways. It damages anything that is exposed to it like roads, bridges, buildings, vehicles, power lines, trees, crops, plants, animals and people. Ask any farmer what happens when the water or soil is too acidic and they’ll tell you the devastating consequences. Acid rain can also cause permanent lung damage and asthma in people, particularly very young people.

No one, not even Mr. Drietz, can honestly deny the planet is warming. Numbers don’t lie. And this idea of using coal emissions to reflect sunlight is ludicrous. Unless you like kids and adults getting diseases, cancers, permanent lung damage and asthma, crumbling equipment and infrastructure, damaged food crops, lakes and rivers that can’t support life, and soil that can’t support forests or food crops.

Whenever I see someone like Mr. Drietz try to push narratives, ideas and actions that are so poorly thought out and so very harmful to everyone and everything, I’m reminded of something both profound and simple I read as a child:

“When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize we cannot eat money.” – Native American saying

Anthony Studemann

Marshall