Letters to the Editor: We’ve ignored the climate prophets. Fires remind us of our inaction

To the editor: The fires of California are, for me, a wake-up call. (“Fossil-fuel polluters put money over the planet. Tax them into smithereens,” letters, Jan. 27)

They should be for all of us. They are the lighthouse marking the shoals of our existence on this planet. They are the bonfires of our vanity.

I, like many others, have slumbered too long in the passive hope that the governments of the world will heed the Jeremiahs of climate change. The prophets thus far have been ignored, and at our peril.

Governments are the reflections of the people they govern. America has elected an administration that is little concerned with climate change. This reflects the attitude of the American people. And this attitude prevailed in our election of the previous administration as well — for nothing remarkable was demanded, little extraordinary was attempted, and nothing significant was accomplished.

The bonfires still burn. The skies are still pink, or gray, or black.

Each of us needs to shout out, not only to our leaders but to one other: “Sleeper, awake! All of our quotidian distractions are secondary to climate change. For none of these concerns will matter when we descend into the hell of political, economic and social chaos that will ensue if we continue on the present road of indifference in the interest of our immediate comfort.”

If anyone doubts this, I suggest you ask the people of Southern California.

Kenneth Ely, Blaine, Wash.