Phoenix heat wave is proof: Climate change is hitting the point of no return

July will be remembered as the hottest month on record in Phoenix as well as across much of the world.

I ask you, what do we value?

What do we want our personal and collective legacy to be?

Do we want to be remembered as the generation that destroyed life on earth — the last generation to be able to enjoy the beauty and abundance that nature has to offer?

This is the magnitude of the decisions we are making today. The clock is ticking.

Everywhere we look we see the impacts of the previous decisions that have allowed the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to reach 424 parts per million.

“We are absolutely at levels unseen in human civilization,” said Jason Furtado, a University of Oklahoma meteorology professor. “Humans are running a massive experiment on the Earth climate system via burning carbon, and the results are turning out not great for a lot of people on this planet.”

As a great-grandmom, I am very concerned about what life on earth will look like for our children and grandchildren.

Will humanity survive? What about plants, animals, insects, birds, amphibians?

We must act now while we still have time.

Hazel Chandler, Phoenix

I'm the exact opposite of a racist

Greg Moore’s column states that “Tom Horne is pursuing racist education policies …” (“Black therapists in Arizona address critical race theory in ways schools won’t”).

That is a vicious, defamatory, personal attack on me. My most fundamental belief is that we are all individuals entitled to be judged on what we know and can do, and that race is entirely irrelevant to anything.

I am the exact opposite of a racist.

But Moore is so immersed in racialized thinking that he cannot even contemplate the philosophy of treating people as individuals.

He also attacks my initiative to bring discipline back to the classroom as “a school-to-prison pipeline … .”

My overwhelming goal is to improve academics in our schools. If students can interfere with other students’ learning, without consequence, classrooms become unruly and learning cannot occur.

But Moore doesn’t care about academics. All he cares about is racialized thinking, a philosophy that produces no improvement in academics.

Tom Horne, Arizona superintendent of public instruction

Actually, governor, those plans exist

Many of us saw the letter sent by Gov. Katie Hobbs to our largest utilities last week when the weather once again exceeded 110 degrees.

While I understand her concern, I want to assure her office and Arizonans that the Arizona Corporation Commission has focused on ensuring energy reliability in preparation for the peak energy use we experience in the summer months.

Our commission hosts an annual Summer Preparedness Meeting to hear from utilities planners directly about the power that would be needed to provide reliable service to Arizonans. This planning is not done last minute, and projections occur many years in advance.

For the second year, the commission hosted an Energy Reliability Summit, where utilities provide updates over a longer timeframe. With updated weather predictions, economic development projections and residential growth patterns, they focused on adding the right mix of resources that would be needed to guarantee reliable electricity to their ratepayers.

Another view: Hobbs is 3 weeks late to the heat wave

I’m sure that the governor’s letter was well-meaning, but I was surprised that she was apparently unaware of the role the constitutionally created commission plays in ensuring energy reliability and affordability.

During the pandemic, we also mandated that the utilities could not disconnect residential customers from June 1 to Oct. 1 that were falling on financial hardships, and that rule remains in effect.

The Arizona Corporation Commission remains focused on our role of ensuring energy reliability and rate affordability — especially during the hottest time of the year.

Lea Márquez Peterson, Arizona Corporation Commissioner

Finally, some relief on robocalls

It’s about time the Federal Trade Commission did something about the millions of robocalls Americans get each day.

These robocalls have been rampant for years.

Instead of reining in robocalls, FTC Chair Lina Khan and her cohorts have focused on reasons why companies like Microsoft, Illumina and others should not be able to go further with their proposed mergers.

Then those reasons are shot down in court.

Nonetheless, it’s good to see some progress being made on robocalls. However, given all the money scammed and all the annoyance and time wasted, the fines and penalties look pretty light to me.

Craig Jacobsen, Gold Canyon

Court complainers, where are you?

I’m wondering if anyone can tell me what happened to all the conservatives who for decades have bitterly complained about activism in the courts?

Mike Ringer, Scottsdale

What I learned from the Founders

I recently visited Colonial Williamsburg where The Founders bravely resisted a monarchy and formed a nation of the people.

How difficult that must have been. Loyalists versus rebels, who may have been friends and neighbors.

We have had many difficult moments in our nation. We will get through this troubling time. There are enough reasonable people who believe in democracy and that no one side can have it its way indefinitely.

There have always been swings in power and influence that have shifted the fortunes of the rich and poor. We must remember that there are inequalities in education and wealth that must be looked at for all.

Education especially.

Larry Queen, Scottsdale

What’s on your mind? Send us a letter to the editor online or via email at opinions@arizonarepublic.com. And consider joining our moderated Voices: Engaging Arizona group on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix heat wave shows climate change is at the point of no return