Letter to the Editor:

Extreme weather in Vancouver has caused flooding and mudslides cutting them off from the rest of Canada. Drought has greatly reduced Utah’s Great Salt Lake to a fraction of its former size. Wildfires out west have killed giant sequoias impacting nearly a fifth of this Earth’s largest trees.

Recent tornadoes in Kentucky (yes, tornadoes in December) have cost numerous lives and significant damage. In Turkey, storms resulted in many fatalities. Islands in the South Pacific are disappearing due to ocean levels rising.

We can’t say every weather event is caused by climate change but scientists have concluded that the frequency and magnitude of these events can be attributable to the warming of the planet.

Sadly, our representatives in Congress have done little to attack the problem, and the increasing use of fossil fuels is polluting our atmosphere with carbon dioxide. The majority of the American public is demanding action. This includes both conservatives and liberals.

There is talk in the Senate of creating a carbon tax which would increase the cost of fossil fuels to pay for the cost of climate pollution. It would be a powerful tool in combating climate change and if coupled with a rebate or dividend, issued back to all Americans, would not create a negative economic result. Taxing carbon would drive innovation in green technologies.

If you are concerned about the effects of climate change and want to learn more about how to combat it, please go to citizensclimatelobby.org for more information. Then give your representatives a call and tell them that pricing carbon is instrumental in minimizing the effects of climate change.

7th District Congressman Tom Tiffany

(202) 225-3365

3rd District Congressman Ron Kind

(202) 225-5506

Sen. Ron Johnson

(202) 224-5323

Sen. Tammy Baldwin

(202) 224-5653

Michael Pesko

Rice Lake