The Sentinel

Letter to the Editor |
Don't Increase Hunger

Dear Editor,

The new administration has now cut billions of dollars from food stamps (SNAP) in the budget. This is cruel. This will take food away from the hungry, including children and senior citizens. We have a government out to starve its own people, take medical care away from the sick and perpetrate other evils. They must be stopped.

According to our state legislators, Illinois cannot possibly make up for the billions taken away. Non-profit food pantries will be stretched to their limits.

In 2023, 13.8 million children lived in households that experienced food insecurity, up 3.2 percent from 2022, according to the Food Research and Action Center (frac.org). Taking billions out of food assistance will worsen these already intolerable numbers.

Where will these people go? Possibly many will go begging on the streets or turn to worse to support their families. This in a country that used to claim to be generous and compassionate.

Why are they doing this? Because they believe that most (maybe all) the recipients are scamming the system. Even if true, their sledge hammer approach affects everyone indiscriminately. Instead investigate what the real situation is. Improve the vetting process. Don't hurt the needy.

They should visit soup kitchens such as the one where I volunteered and note the number of people for whom the meal we served was the only meal they had that day.

We must stop this outrage to humanity. If you have any compassion, please, please contact your congressman as soon as possible and demand that he/she work to roll back these cruel, un-American cuts.

Anthony Buttitta
Des Plaines

Anthony Buttitta is a 21-year resident from Des Plaines. He enjoys the sense of community that comes from being close to people and supporting local, independent businesses. Success comes from maintaining a positive, confident attitude and trusting in God.

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Viewpoint |
Wildfire smoke signals a growing climate crisis

“Increasing temperatures and changes in precipitation and snowmelt patterns are increasing the severity and size of wildfires in the West.”

by Terry Hansen
Guest Commentary

Recently, a group of Republican members of Congress sent a letter to the Canadian government, alleging that its poor forest management practices are responsible for out-of-control wildfires and for this summer's air quality problems in the Midwest and Northeast.

Notably, the letter fails to mention climate change. However, although fire-management practices can play a role in these megafires, climate change also has a profound impact. In the words of Natural Resources Canada:

"Warmer-than-average temperatures, decreased levels of snowpack, low soil moisture and elevated drought conditions are indicators that climate change is impacting the frequency, size and range of wildland fires in Canada. For example, the number of over-wintering fires is increasing."

During the three preceding decades, human-caused climate change doubled the area affected by forest fires in the western United States.

It’s also important to take note of a 2015 issue of the U.S. Forest Service’s journal, Fire Management Today, titled “Climate Change: The Future Is Here.” This publication states, “Increasing temperatures and changes in precipitation and snowmelt patterns are increasing the severity and size of wildfires in the West.” Concern is also expressed about the “occurrence of fire that is outside the range of our existing experience” and the danger this poses to firefighters and communities.

Moreover, a 2016 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that during the three preceding decades, human-caused climate change doubled the area affected by forest fires in the western United States.

The reason is that hotter temperatures evaporate soil moisture and dry vegetation, making it more likely to burn. According to physicist Phillip B. Duffy, "What would have been a fire easily extinguished now just grows very quickly and becomes out of control.”

We are experiencing these impacts before Earth's warming has reached the 1.5°C (2.7°F) threshold climate scientists have long warned about.

In addition, their letter emphasizes, "Our constituents have been limited in their ability to go outside and safely breathe due to the dangerous air quality the wildfire smoke has created."

Significantly, 184 medical and public health groups, including the American Medical Association, the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association, have released a statement declaring: "Climate change is one of the greatest threats to health America has ever faced — it is a true public health emergency."

These organizations cite extreme heat, floods and year-round wildfires, as well as air pollution caused by fossil fuel burning and the spread of mosquito and tick-borne diseases.

Even more troubling, we are experiencing these impacts before Earth's warming has reached the 1.5°C (2.7°F) threshold climate scientists have long warned about. Consider that a recent report by the United Nations concludes that, without a greater commitment to reduce emissions, the Earth will warm by about 3.1° C above pre-industrial levels by 2100. What's more, the increase in global heating is expected to continue beyond the end of the century.

In order to deal with climate-driven threats, we must first recognize them. Urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions and funding adaptation should be top priorities for every politician who cares about public health and the future we all share.

Terry Hansen is a retired educator who writes frequently about climate change. He lives in Milwaukee.