Secretary of Defense James Mattis testified to the U.S. Senate that climate change is real and is a serious threat to national security. Severe droughts in Syria played a significant role in the civil war that has been tearing their nation apart, leading to millions of refugees and fostering extremism.
It is time for common-sense solutions like carbon fee and dividend to help the United States divest from foreign oil and become energy independent. We must work on mitigating climate change and decreasing emissions nationally and locally.
It may seem daunting, but we can make meaningful changes starting locally to be safer and more sustainable, and to prepare for rising temperatures, precipitation and extreme weather events on the horizon due to climate change.
Preparatory actions and solution-focused policies start with city councils, school boards and mayors across the country.
Let’s start here at home with the upcoming election. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many excellent qualified candidates, including David Marshall, Laurie Cooper Stoll, Jacqui Marcou, Nick Dutton and Allen Pruitt.
I encourage everyone to research candidates in your district, along with citywide races, and vote on April 4. Regardless of who you vote for, we must all get involved and stay informed to foster local resilience to worldwide climate instability and other threats to our safety and liberty. As our representatives in Washington, Ron Kind, Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson will take note and champion our causes when our community is well-informed, engaged and voting.
