LETTER: Global warming requires a complete restructuring of the way we live

“When the well is dry, we know the worth of water,” Benjamin Franklin once said. Climate change is a long-term, systemic issue that necessitates immediate action across decades. Nothing short of a complete restructuring of our economic and social institutions is required, from where we get our energy to how we transport things and people, where we live and work, and what we buy.

In addition to contributing to climate change, deforestation is also a major contributor to the global greenhouse gas emissions. Building houses and other structures has an environmental impact because it generates a lot of garbage and toxic chemicals. The transportation required to remove supplies and garbage from the construction site has a significant detrimental impact on the environment.

Greening our economy is, foremost, a business opportunity that will generate jobs, stimulate innovation and improve economic growth. If the government does not take action to prevent climate change, we, as a community, must step in because it will be too late by the time we notice the acute differences that climate change will bring.