Earth Day on April 22 offers a special opportunity to seriously consider environmental matters. Foremost among these is global climate change. There is overwhelming consensus in the national and international scientific communities that it is real and human greenhouse gas emissions are a major causal factor.

Since 1988, the most prominent authority is the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, with input from thousands of scientists. Also, the gravity and urgency of the challenge was recognized by 195 countries in their Paris agreement of 2015.

President Donald Trump and Scott Pruitt, his head of the Environmental Protection Agency, have repeatedly demonstrated that they are climate-change deniers. This can only be from shocking and dangerous ignorance or rejection of science, disingenuous political posturing, or delusion. Because global climate change is an existential challenge, Trump and Pruitt are by far the greatest threat to the security of the U.S. — indeed, to the whole world.

Leslie E. Sponsel

Hawaii Kai

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Sponsorships would clutter city views

Hawaii is so fortunate to not allow billboards and signs to clutter up the beautiful views.

City Council Bill 78 (2015) CD1 bill would be the beginning of the end for such regulations.

The bill would allow “sponsorship recognition or display” at city program locations. It states that the “placement of sponsorship messages upon a city asset will require specific authorization.”

The city does need more money, but this is not the way to get it. I would think that the costs of administration, approval and enforcing the regulations would be much more than sponsorships would bring in.

An article in Sunday’s Star-Advertiser (“Market’s signs prompt $3,000 in fines,” April 15), said that the International Market Place has “run afoul of Hawaii’s signage restrictions, which date back to the 1920s when an environmental advocacy group successfully lobbied the territorial Legislature to ban billboards on the island.”

Bill 78 appears to be in opposition to this law that has worked for many years to keep Hawaii beautiful. So I say no.

Claudia L. Webster

Kailua

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Military action needs fully vetted planning

I am concerned about recent military action in Syria without a concrete foreign policy.

I worry about the current administration’s “America First” stance; however, after seeing images of the gas-warfare atrocities committed against Syrian people, President Donald Trump changed his stance on Syria. What is the current U.S. goal in the region? What is the current U.S. goal in North Korea?

I oppose war without a concrete plan for U.S. involvement and without a core group of foreign allies. Any military action should be voted on by Congress. I want to know where our congressional representatives stand on current military action and foreign policy.

I oppose the human crimes committed by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime against his own people. But I also oppose military action without a fully vetted plan.

I ask U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, and U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, to continue making our voices heard in Congress.

Julia Gore

Hawaii Kai

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Attack on Syria may protect innocents

We need a truthful accounting of the missiles sent and results of President Donald Trump’s recent military actions.

Please write in and affirm if you disagree with the president that “no child of God should ever suffer such horror” and you want the innocent to be mercilessly gassed.

How many thousands of lives might be saved now as a result of that action, and what price do we put on those lives? What about the MOAB dropped on ISIS, that Afghan officials said resulted in 94 confirmed deaths of ISIS fighters, meaning it killed well over 100?

Trump would not confront Russian President Vladimir Putin in Syria if he had ties with him. Time will prove Trump has no ties with Russia, and that he has Hawaii’s back with respect to North Korea.

Colin White

Moanalua

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Costs going up, but not retiree’s income

I am a retired person on a fixed income. Our elected officials keep raising our taxes and want to raise senior citizen bus pass costs. No wonder the homeless population is growing. None of the people I voted for got elected. Voters beware.

Adriano Eliazar

Kalihi-Palama

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Religious tolerance comes with a price

It was very interesting to read on Easter morning two dichotomic stories.

In “An Unorthodox Gift,” a wealthy immigrant family donated a generous gift of $15 million to Notre Dame University, one of the most prominent Catholic universities, with the goal to “foster better understanding of religion, including Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, with the belief that all religions should be treated with equal respect.” The president of the university said that the gift was “tremendously meaningful” particularly because the gift was from a Muslim donor.

In another story, “Catholic college axes yoga, citing influence of Hinduism,” a less prominent Catholic college decided to discontinue yoga classes, suggesting that the word “yoga” advo- cates the Hindu religion. Future classes will be rebranded as “lifestyle fitness.” Apparently, this Catholic college feels that Catholic mysticism is incongruous with the Hindu religion.

My Easter morning lesson: Money (again) trumps religious tolerance and understanding.

Joe Althouse

Kakaako