On the occasion of my child’s 18th birthday, it is a time of reflection and hope. Parents want everything for their children and do their very best to provide for them. I hope we have prepared our child but I know for sure that in one area I have failed him.
We are sending our son out into a world with an unstable climate. Will there be enough water for him and the family he may one day have? Will there be a stable food supply as growing regions shift and population grows? Will the world destabilize further as climate refugees are forced to move to places that may not welcome them? Will my child be OK when I am gone?
And so I ask, myself, my leaders, and my fellow humans, let’s take action. We are doing some good but we need to do more and we have opportunities. We can engineer solutions but we must not obstruct them. The carbon fee and dividend, as proposed by the Citizens Climate Lobby, a bipartisan organization working for all people, is a viable option. There are solutions and we must pursue them for our children, who need a planet that can sustain them.
Liz Haigh, Millcreek