LTE: Climate change fight is a wise investment February 17, 2020

LTE in the Austin America-Statesman: Climate change fight is a wise investment

By: Dr. Mary Ann Gonzales, Texas PSR president

Austin’s initiative to mitigate carbon emissions is a starting point in the climate conversation.
The question really shouldn’t be how much will it cost to plant trees, but what is the cost of doing nothing?
As a physician and board president of Texas Physicians for Social Responsibility, I am keenly aware of the health impacts of climate change. We are seeing rising cases of asthma, heatstroke, heart disease, vector-borne illnesses and other conditions that are a direct result of climate and pollution. Factor in the cost of natural disasters in terms of both human displacement and health, and $500k is clearly a wise investment.
Municipal level initiatives are a start, but should not be the end. It’s time to move to clean energy sources, even if it lightens the pocketbooks of stakeholders in the fossil fuel industry. The costs in terms of Texan’s health are too high.