Letters: What the drought is telling us

Re “A dry and desperate state,” Aug. 6

Thank you for the gripping article on the effects of persistent drought in the Southwest, especially New Mexico. This is a dramatic example of the types of extreme weather events that are occurring much more frequently now than half a century ago.

Scientific evidence suggests that these events are a consequence of the gradually rising global temperatures which, in turn, result from the gradually increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

These emissions result from the human use of fossil fuels, and the trend they represent can be decreased only by shutting down the coal- and natural-gas-fueled power plants, which produce the majority of greenhouse gases, and replacing them with alternative energy sources.

Michael Werner

Pasadena

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