It’s easy to respond sarcastically to Michelle Palacio’s letter thanking fracked gas for producing beer, inviting everyone to chill out about all this climate stuff and just have a drink (“Natural gas has benefits,” Our Readers’ Views, April 10). After all how can you argue against beer? (Not effectively, I betcha.) But it’s terribly misleading to align the devastating climate effects of fracking gas and the catastrophic global warming caused by its methane gas with a buddies beer outing.
We humans are hardwired to seek comfort food, comfort warmth and comfort shelter. That’s how advertising works. That’s why aligning fossil fuel products with puppy dogs works so well, as does cooking comfort food on your gas stove. The most environmentally damaging products you can buy are sold this way. Let’s not buy this advertising strategy. Too much is at stake here.
