In his letter (James Phillips, 6/20) criticizing my opinion piece on the Green New Deal (“Green New Deal is a Must,” 6/6), Mr. Phillips is long on angry rhetoric but cannot muster a single fact or piece of evidence for his position. He can only restate the contrarian position that climate change is not happening (much) and may not be due to human activity.

But in the face of the overwhelming scientific and observable evidence, those who deny the reality and peril of human-caused climate change are indeed out of touch with reality.

Mr. Phillips adopts the alt-right victim stance, declaring a conspiracy by cultural elites to foist socialism on ordinary Americans. A majority of those ordinary Americans, however, understand that climate change is a serious problem and the government should do “a great deal or a lot” to resolve it (July, 2018 ABC News poll.)

The small but powerful group of climate deniers and their fossil fuel allies continue to block effective climate action, putting us all at serious risk as time runs out. The threat to life on this planet builds with each passing day.

Can we as a species find a way to work out our differences to ensure our survival and protect life for generations to come? 

Chuck Areford

Eugene