Letters to the Editor

Letter: Turbines are economic model for future

Alex Gimarc's compass piece on the Fire Island wind turbines (May 7) brings up some important economic and technical points, but he manages to make it through the entire piece without a single reference to the most critical reason that renewable energy should be promoted and embraced by governments, utilities, and consumers. Even if the renewable energy movement did stem from a concern that fossil fuels were running out, it has become critically important for a far more important reason: science has solidly established that burning fossil fuels is rapidly poisoning the planet that sustains us. If we're unable to move past an economic model where the corporate profits and efficiencies of currently established businesses are the sole measures of a project's value, we're laying the groundwork for a global catastrophe. Power generation businesses should be leading the way, not fervently defending business as usual.

Maybe the larger "victory for consumers" would be to pass on to their grandchildren a planet with a living ocean, a fairly stable climate, and enough arable land area to feed everyone.

— Ken Higgins

Anchorage

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