Sandpiper Editorials

Climate change is accelerating faster than predicted, and meaningful action cannot be delayed any longer without dire consequences. Two recent publications, one international (Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and one local (San Diego County Regional Decarbonization Framework (RDF), currently in draft form pending public comments)

As we watch the City Council in action, we’re struck with how important it is to have “adults in the room” when key decisions are made – and how much we lose or put at risk when they are out-voted by councilmembers who vote based on simplistic views and a

NY Times columnist David Brooks recently wrote a pessimistic piece about our country”s “long term loss of solidarity, rise in estrangement and hostility…society that is dissolving from the bottom up…Americans have been acting in fewer pro-social and relational ways….” His words got a lot of pushback in letters to the

Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” This statement, made in the 1980s when Moynihan was the U.S. Senator from New York, is as relevant today as it was then. With the advent of the internet and social media

It’s 2041. Global warming has accelerated faster than predicted, and the economy is in freefall. Our children ask, “what were our parents thinking in 2021 when they had a chance to take meaningful action and punted. Now it’s very late to stop the damage.”   Two recent events highlight the

Monday, October 4th was a day of striking dissonance. Ardem Patapoutian, PhD, a Del Mar resident and Scripps Research Professor, received the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology. His recognition continues the rich scientific legacy of Del Mar residents going back to Dave Keeling, noted early climate scientist at Scripps

The machinery of government is intricate and complicated. In today’s political climate, successful election campaigns are too often driven by simplistic, sharp-line-in-the sand messaging, but governing is different. City Council members are responsible for a plateful of complex issues that are immune to simple solutions. Historically our best governance has

There is little doubt that Del Mar is a very special community in many ways, but after you have been here for a while you realize there is a secret sauce that is vital in concocting our uniqueness. Citizen participation is not just a slogan in this community - it

We in San Diego County are one of the fortunate California counties to have a water reserve. Of the 57 others, 41 are living with water restrictions due to the ongoing drought affecting California and much of the West.   Some of us exchanged our green lawns and gardens for

Long-term problems require long-term perspectives. Those of us with a 10-year perspective may not be concerned about the existential threat of sea-level rise, but our children and grandchildren will have to deal with the consequences of our action or inaction. The ocean is warming, ice caps are melting and sea