The Man In The Mirror

Only in the current political climate could the environment become a contentious topic.

We’ve certainly dealt with the issue at this newspaper, where readers and callers passionately argue whether global warming exists or not.

We see it here in East Hampton, where the Deepwater South Fork Wind Farm has divided the town. The issue is, and should be, where the cable carrying the power comes to shore and why a bucolic town like East Hampton was chosen as host. Instead, some have turned it into a debate about wind power in general.

As another huge, record-breaking weather system finally fades (Dorian) and with the memory of Hurricane Sandy and the 2004 tsunami in Japan still fresh, let’s worry about what we do know: Weather systems are strengthening, dangerously so. The cause surely lies with mankind.

Our sole focus should be on what we can do to reverse the trend, and what we will do if we are next.

Reducing the use of fossil fuels, cleaning our oceans and bays, protecting our drinking water — these are universal goals, not topics for partisan bickering. When we see plastic floating in the middle of the ocean, do we really need a politician to blame it on?

Hurricane Dorian served as a bitter reminder that one of these storms, perhaps the next one, will smash us head on. Montauk will be cut off from the mainland. Debris will pile up everywhere. Our docks and marinas will be savaged. And yes, lives will be lost. These are the truisms that must shape our every move.

The carbon dioxide levels in the air are suffocating this planet. Want someone to blame? Look inside. The road to recovery is daunting. All of us need to be headed in the same direction.