Editor,
Nature is throwing us for a loop. Since March, a coronavirus that originated in a bat has killed over 844,000 people, 22% being Americans though we are just 4.23% of the world’s population. The CDC forecasts that the U.S. death toll could reach 207,000 by Sept. 19.
And now, California is suffering catastrophic wildfires, making our masks serve dual purposes — protecting others from us in case we’re infected by the virus but presymptomatic or asymptomatic, and protecting our lungs from particulate matter from wood smoke.
For me, the latter is a wake-up call as I haven’t paid much attention to climate change, which increases the risk and extent of wildfires, since we were ordered to shelter in place on March 17. With my apartment windows shut due to wood smoke, I am reminded, particularly on hot nights, that the climate crisis never went away and is only getting worse — which brings me to the subject of freeway tolls.
Daily Journal reporter Zachary Clark, wrote (“New highway tolling eyed,” Aug. 18) that the reason why the “Metropolitan Transportation Commission envisions the ‘eventual transitions to congestion pricing on all freeway lanes in corridors with robust transit options’” is to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
In reading the subsequent letters responding to Clark’s piece, I noticed they all overlooked that factor — that MTC wants to charge single-occupant vehicles (carpools are exempt, as are transit vehicles) to reduce emissions. I have no problem with that.
Irvin Dawid
Burlingame
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