Extreme weather shows the need to cut global warming pollution

With extreme weather occurrences on the rise ("Maryland braces for second heat wave, "June 8 ) many wonder the cause. And while no single flood, tornado or heat wave can be traced back to global warming, the science is clear that a warmer world will bring more extreme weather. This impacts our economy, environment, and security.

In fact, an Environment Maryland report from last year "Global Warming and Extreme Weather: The Science, the Forecast, and the Impacts on America" reviewed the latest science linking global warming to hurricanes, coastal storms, extreme precipitation, wildfires and heat waves.

The threat of increased extreme weather from global warming is just one of the many reasons why we need to make big cuts in our global warming pollution. One of the easiest ways to do that is to make our cars and trucks pollute less. President Obama can do just that by ensuring that new cars and trucks meet a 60 miles per gallon standard by 2025. Such a standard would cut global warming nationally by 465 million metric tons by 2030, the equivalent of taking nearly 70 million vehicles off the road, while saving the average Maryland family $541 at the gas pump annually. The president should seize this historic opportunity.

Rachel Davidson,Bethesda

The writer is a volunteer at Environment Maryland.