Editor:

Of course the businesses and residents of Jacobs Avenue don't want to pull up stakes and leave. ("Behind the Levee," Jan. 27) Rising sea levels make their predicament all the more poignant because we're all going to face "tough choices" in the foreseeable future.

We've been in denial about the greenhouse effect on the climate of the world. Now we can't ignore it anymore. The polar icecaps are melting. The oceans are rising. Our children's world is imperiled. Now is the time for some of those powers of innovation and adaptation that humans are famous for.

The first step toward reducing our carbon footprint -- and the least we can do -- is to stop wasting energy. Just getting rid of our many wasteful habits would reduce our energy consumption enough to get the attention of the fossil fuel industries. It would send the message that we need them to invest much more in the clean-energy future.

If we took it a bit further and eliminated the trivial uses of energy -- saved it for the important stuff -- the message would be even louder.

How well we face this challenge will make a huge difference to our children and grandchildren. There's a lot about the future we don't know, but the least we can do right now is to take small steps in the right direction.

Martha Walden, Bayside