Your help is needed to combat climate change | LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Published 11:25 am Sunday, March 22, 2015

To the editor:

This week SWERV (Savvy Women Exchanging Relevant Views) hosted KC Golden from Climate Solutions as a speaker. KC emphasized that climate change is an issue of justice, because those who contribute the least to the problem are hit with the worst consequences.

Here in Washington our fisheries, forests and farms are feeling the effects of climate change with ocean acidification, increased fires and warming temperatures. KC made it clear that carrying on with “business as usual” will lead to an unrecognizable planet which he called “Toast,” but he also stressed that we do have the solutions we need to avoid “Toast.”

The first principle is to stop making it worse. Investing in fossil fuel companies and infrastructure will carry us along the trajectory of rising fossil fuel use.

Next is moving to clean energy. Investing in conservation and clean energy will begin to bring down the rising use of fossil fuels. He stressed the importance of not becoming discouraged by the task ahead, because we do have the power and ability to avoid the worst impacts. He mentioned the UW Climate Group, Princeton’s Climate Stabilization Wedge Game, and Bill McKibben’s new article among other sources.

Come hear Kathleen Dean Moore speak at Grace Church on May 2 about the moral obligation of climate change. There will be lots of groups and people to connect with at that event.

Then join Climate Action Bainbridge, Bainbridge’s Citizen’s Climate Lobby, or one of the other fine island organizations that are fighting climate change as part of their mission.

As FDR once said, “We can, we will, we must!”

PEGGI ERICKSON

Bainbridge Chapter of Citizen’s Climate Lobby