Polar bears on the Beaufort Sea coast within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in this undated handout photo provided on Dec. 21, 2005. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Image Library via Reuters)

Regarding the Dec. 21 news article “Trump’s team asks State about environmental funding ”:

This is bad news for the environment and the creatures we share it with. Long after President-elect Donald Trump becomes a distant, unpleasant memory, future generations of Americans will look back at the first quarter of the 21st century and wonder why we didn’t do anything to save polar bears, elephants and countless other species that will disappear forever because of our present-day idiocy.

The loss of habitat is a death knell for magnificent creatures who depend upon these habitats for their very survival. There is absolutely no question that the planet is warming, and at a much faster rate than ever before believed, and this warming is caused in large part by human release of carbon into the air and pollution of water all around the globe.

Asking any department to list its expenses for environmental causes is just awful and extremely dangerous. I have been blessed to have seen polar bears and elephants in the wild, but our children and grandchildren will not be so fortunate.

Henry A. Lowenstein, New York