To the editor:

As someone who has spent the better part of a decade living on Bainbridge Island, I have noticed the increased ferocity with which King Tides have impacted our island.

Even back in December of 2012, King Tides had a significant negative impact on our island, eclipsing bulkheads, forcing ferry passengers to board via the car deck, and almost submerging the Point White Pier.

Since then, there have been numerous occasions in which low lying neighborhoods such as Point Monroe have been flooded during these King Tide events. Sea level rise due to climate change will only allow these flooding events to become worse, and has the possibility of causing millions of dollars of property damage.

If we don’t reduce our carbon footprint, sea level rise will cause irreversible damage on our island and in low-lying communities around the world.

The positive news is that we still have time to do something about it. Reducing our reliance on cars, consuming less meat, and exclusively buying local are all ways we as individuals can make an impact on reducing the negative impact of climate change.

In addition to this, we can pressure the federal officials representing us in Washington, D.C. to make climate action an important part of their legislation. I believe taking both a local and federal approach is the only effective way to tackle a problem as complex as climate change.

WILL ROBERTSON

Bainbridge Island