Insurance companies know what climate deniers don’t

This is in response to the Commentary “The current global retreat from climate alarmism is a good thing” by Bjorn Lomborg (published by the Daily Camera on Feb. 20).

How ironic it is to read this commentary by a known climate science denialist during this unusually warm and dry winter.

His primary argument seems to be that, if addressing a problem doesn’t score political points, it must not be real. Tell that to the mountain towns suffering from the awful winter this season.

By Mr. Lomborg’s telling, we are so much safer now than in the past. Then how come the cost of my homeowner’s policy has risen by almost five times since 2012, adjusted for inflation (almost seven times without adjusting for inflation). Might it be that the insurance company knows something Mr. Lomborg is denying?

David Mosberger, Boulder

Our leaders don’t live up to scriptural values

For all the claims certain politicians make on behalf of the Christian faith, from a scriptural standpoint, they miss the mark. Not sure from where they derive their theology, but it isn’t the Hebrew or Christian scriptures.

Take, for example, the idea of leadership, about which the writings bear a long, consistent and clear witness. Leaders are to be servants, shepherds of the people they lead. They are to do what is right and just and to forego any violence or oppression of the people. They are to govern using accurate and impartial scales and not dispossess the people of their rights or their means of security and sufficiency. Within the community they lead, each person — including them — is able and expected to contribute and participate in ways proportionate to their means for the good of all. The basis of their governance is justice and righteousness (read goodness) that ensures no one has too much and no one has too little. The measure of any justice or goodness begins with the least, the marginalized, those who have little to no voice in the governance of things, not with those who have the most.

Would that all our national leaders lived up to scripture’s vision of leadership and community rather than one informed by mammon. Would that we.

Shirley Berg, Boulder

Plug-in solar for Colorado

As we face ever-escalating electricity costs, increasing power outages, and occasional grid failures, I heartily support a Colorado bill that will facilitate simple plug-in solar usage, offering a lower-cost alternative to extensive and costly roof-top solar installations. The domestic-use panels, paired with some battery backup, also offer some security against occasional power blackouts.

Known as “balcony solar” in Germany, the plug-ins have been eagerly adopted there by some 4 million renters and homeowners. In the U.S., the state of Utah has been the first to adopt legislation permitting the use of plug-in solar.

The plug-ins represent a “democratization” of solar, bringing green energy output within reach of those who could not afford rooftop installations, or those whose rooftops cannot support the larger systems, or renters without rooftop access. The plug-in power generation also helps offset household electrical demand, thus reducing monthly utility bills.

The panels can be quite simply installed by homeowners, plugging them directly into existing electrical outlets. A contractor may need to first install a “meter collar adaptor,” which is attached between the electrical meter display and the meter base. This enables the panels to utilize the existing electrical system without costly panel upgrades. It also gives the flexibility to add battery backup systems.

To encourage Colorado’s adoption of plug-in solar legislation, contact your state legislators in support of HB 26-1007, titled “Improve Customer Use Distributed Energy Resources.” The House Energy and Environment Committee will consider it on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

Sponsored by Senator Cathy Kipp and Representatives Lesley Smith and Rebekah Stewart, the bill defines and creates requirements for portable-scale solar generation devices. In addition, it prohibits a provider of retail electric service or wholesale energy from requiring a customer to obtain the provider’s approval before installing or using a portable-scale solar generation device.

Kate Colby, Loveland

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