Earth Day is a good time to appraise climate change

Artemis II generated excitement in a scientific endeavor that executed only mild research on the climate change crisis. I remember that Sunday evening in 1969 when Neil Armstrong set foot on the lunar surface. However, it is time to come back to Earth literally as well as metaphorically.

The current nostalgia is foolhardy considering a present scientific dilemma. Utilizing vast resources toward space exploration when a cloud of carbon dioxide is enveloping our planet is reckless in nature. The hottest year on record was 2024, and 2025 was in the top three.

The current warming has been rapid resulting from two industrial revolutions and decades of steel, electricity and automobile production. A worldwide effort to stem the deleterious effects of climate change is far more important than engaging in a stellar journey. The ingenuity in a climate undertaking would be a small step for man. Preventing massive droughts, floods and wildfires would be the giant leap for mankind.

The only area we should boldly go where no one has gone before would be the development of cheap, alternative sources of energy that will replace fossil fuels once and for all. Harnessing the energy from nuclear fusion in an international laboratory should be a priority rather than propelling a vehicle into outer space. That is why the stakes are truly high.

We already have flags on the moon. Maybe we can again plant a flag on the North Pole someday, if there's still ice there.

Nick Santora, Roslyn Heights

We face tipping point and need leadership

As we approach Earth Day on April 22, it is time to evaluate a possible environmental tipping point on the planet and its consequences.

The past 11 years have been the hottest years in recorded history. Humans are putting about 42 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year, and it is increasing because carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for hundreds of years.

Arctic warming is causing the jet stream and polar vortex to change. Earth faces a crisis, and we may be running out of time. Parts of the Amazon rainforest could emit more carbon than they absorb. The oceans are getting warmer and will be unable to absorb much more carbon.

The arctic and Antarctic are losing billions of tons of ice a year. This will cause a feedback loop with less ice causing more land exposed to the sun and more ice to melt — the Albedo effect.

Droughts, wildfires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes will increase. It is time to act. President Donald Trump is in denial about climate change. His policies are causing more damage to our planet. Our children and grandchildren will pay the price of a hot planet and a coming environmental disaster. The United States and the world need leadership.

William Lemmey, Astoria