Kate Riley Still Doesn’t “Get It”

 

The Sunday Opinion page “Get ready to vote” headlines Seattle Times editorial page writer Kate Riley’s response to a millionaire-activist funded initiatives. That he is pushing special interests’ agendas, rather than the general public’s interest, and bulldozing anyone in his way. That’s not leadership, that’s destructive and our state can ill afford. One of which is I-2117 claiming “it derails a critical path to Washington’s carbon reduction—and offers nothing in its place.  

She presumably played a major role in the editorial boards “Our “Guide to voting on the statewide initiative” with more details opposing I-2117.  It claims this “wrongheaded initiative would tie the hands of lawmakers attempting to make Washington more resilient to heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions already profoundly affecting the world around us.”  

She’s apparently not aware that Washington’s CO2 emissions make up only 1.56% of the countries.  That the United States made up 11.2% of the worlds. Thus, any reduction in global temperatures from rejecting I-2117 and limiting Washington’s emissions are limited to reducing the states 0.117% of the total. That, except for California, none of the other states with far higher CO2 emissions are making any attempts to charge emitters.

The claim greenhouse gas emissions already profoundly affect the world around us is belied by thousands of years of ice core data.  That CO2 levels lagged global temperatures, indicating CO2 emissions are the result of global warming not the cause.  That increased temperature caused by the Sun increase CO2 outgassing from oceans, increasing atmospheric levels. That lower temperatures result in more CO2 being absorbed by the ocean, reducing those levels.

The bottom line is the Opinion cartoon comments “Now the rest of you can sort out the consequences”.  The “consequence” of passing I-2177 will be some “commission” will not be allowed to charge CO2 emitters whatever fees they feel are necessary to meet some undefined reduction.  Charges those providing the gas for our cars or the cement for our buildings that will inevitably be passed on to their customers.  

That even if Riley’s dubious claims for rejecting I-2117 are valid.  Any effect on reducing the states CO2 emissions will be dwarfed by CO2 on jet stream from a China that’s planning to increase its 30% of the planets by 25% by 2030.  

The entire area will pay a heavy price is they heed Kate Riley’s opinion.