One Word: Plastics
I’m concerned about the increase in plastic production, and I think you should be too. Major fossil fuel companies make the bulk of plastics, the production of which has increased as we have moved toward clean energy implementation. This has caused a decrease in the use of fossil fuels. So to continue to make money, plastic production is increasing significantly.
Meanwhile, the detrimental impact of plastics is worldwide—from fracking to production and throughout the whole life of plastics until they pile up on land and in the oceans. The health of communities near plastic production plants is at risk, particularly in poorer and marginalized communities.
The health and environmental impacts continue to run their course, and many unanswered questions remain. Is the potential risk involved worth the risk? I say it’s not.
Ava Funk
Formerly of Marin County
Dam Scam
One hundred years ago, San Francisco completed the O’Shaughnessy Dam project, which captured the Tuolumne River (“Tuolumne Blues,” May 15, 2024). The Hetch Hetchy Valley, like Yosemite Valley, features breathtaking cascades and waterfalls, two of which are the tallest in North America.
The dam and inundation of the magnificent “other” Yosemite Valley was the first national environmental debate over land use. Objections led by John Muir to this unnecessary boondoggle were pushed aside primarily through political power and a sense of entitlement by city officialdom. The irony resides in pro-dam lobbyists’ false and condescending claim of “serving the greatest good for the greatest number” and today’s failure to provide enough water to cleanse San Francisco’s indulgent acceptance of Dark Ages sanitation.
Leland Dennick
Sebastopol
