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SJ Merc editorial

The Merc published an editorial on global warming, (climate change, whatever) and boy was it a strong one.  The title? Climate change at crisis level. A snippet:

Global warming is the greatest environmental threat that humanity has ever faced.

Caused mainly by the unprecedented levels of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere by automobiles and industries, the rise in temperature is already starting to melt the polar ice caps and disrupt weather patterns.

The potential consequences for California are dire. At current rates of warming, state researchers project that the sea level will rise as much as three feet by the end of the century, flooding many low-lying areas and tainting important sources of fresh water like the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta. Higher temperatures will drastically shrink the Sierra snowpack that stores much of our water. They will increase smog, boost the risk of wildfires and upset California’s vital agricultural industries.

Go check it out, it’s pretty good.  But boy oh boy, Dan Walters at the Merc’s (UPDATE:  former) sister publication, the Sacramento Bee, will not be pleased with this one.