April 22, 2015

Citizens’ Climate Lobby Intends to Put Power of the American Economy to Use

To the Editor:

Allow me to introduce us: we’re members of Citizens’ Climate Lobby. No, no, please don’t run. We’re not scary. We’re your neighbors. Our kids go to school with yours and you see us mowing the lawn. We drive our cars and heat and cool our homes, just like you. And we want to continue to do so. But we need your help. You see, we read about the drought in California threatening our farmer friends, Glacier National Park losing its glaciers, and our pine forests in Colorado dying because of beetles that no longer go away during the winters. We see our beautiful country changing before our eyes. Even though we don’t all understand how and why, we trust in smart people who study these things and say that fossil fuel use is warming the atmosphere, which causes or exacerbates these issues, and that the changes are happening now and very fast.

Nobody likes excessive regulations, and instead we want to use the biggest force on earth: the power of the American economy, to solve this problem. Our proposal will not increase the size of government, but it will reward good behavior and discourage bad, so it will encourage adaptation. And that is what we do best as Americans: adapt and grow. We do this so well, that independent studies show that we can both reduce fossil fuel use by 50 percent and have a net increase of 2.8 million jobs in 20 years when we act. This means that there is no reason to wait: the best time to act is now.

So please join us. You will not be alone, I promise. We have over 220 local groups in the country, tens in other parts of the world and we’re doubling in size every year. We have people from all faiths, ages, and political denominations and we especially want you. You don’t need to have any special talents or skills, just be a citizen who cares. If enough of us show that we care, and that we are supporting a specific solution that is non-partisan and will work, we will get this done. Go to www.citizensclimatelobby.org and join us now!

Veronique Oomen

Linwood Circle