The Dec. 10 letter “Fossil Fuel Factors” was correct in pointing out that fossil fuels have a cost in terms of clean air and clean water, but it did not go far enough.

Today, because of our carbon dioxide emissions, we are on the cusp of the world’s largest man-made environmental disaster. So far, we have increased the Earth’s temperature by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit and, even if we were to cease our production of carbon dioxide tomorrow, the Earth’s temperature will increase by yet another 1.4 degrees. Climate models are predicting as much as 11 degrees increase by the year 2100, depending on what actions we take. We cannot allow this to happen!

It is clear that unless we intend to leave our children and grandchildren with a devastated planet, we have to dramatically reduce our consumption of carbon-based fuels. Yet we seem to have some kind of national agreement not to discuss climate change. We have to look no further than the recent presidential campaign, in which climate change was not mentioned by either side.

Any discussion of energy policy without dealing with the realities of climate change seems to me to be both foolish and dangerous.