Senator Steinmetz’s op-ed in last Wednesday’s Telegram demands a response. She attacks Governor Gordon “declaring what the ‘facts’ are,” when it’s the senator who is wrong. When researching, it’s important to consult primary sources, i.e., actual climate scientists and infectious disease experts, not secondary ones or our gut.

And yes, I’ve fact checked what I’m saying.

Covid-19 is highly infectious and spreads rapidly through a vulnerable population, which we all saw four years ago. Because it is deadly, public health officials recommended social distancing and masking to protect us. Governor Gordon used his best judgment at the time, informed by science and medicine, and mandated masking and closures. 

To call Covid a hoax is an insult to the million of our fellow citizens who died and countless more who suffered immensely, not to mention the many millions more around the world who also suffered or died. That Senator Steinmetz escaped this fate, I am grateful. That fact, however, does not make Covid a hoax.

As to the climate crisis, she is also wrong. The actual climate scientists who have studied this for decades are not making it up. Senator Steinmetz is misleading the public with her rhetoric. Just because plants need CO2 to grow doesn’t mean that more of it is better, any more than because plants need water, more of it is better. We all saw that when the canal burst twice recently. Have you ever gotten into a hot car? The same mechanism that heats it is the one that’s heating our planet. It’s called the greenhouse effect. Perhaps when we get less snowfall to produce water to fill our reservoirs, when even more fires destroy our landscape, Senator Steinmetz will change her tune.

Sincerely,

Katheryne Earl

Torrington