I would like to thank MinnPost for publishing the article “What the Trump administration climate report says about the Midwest” (Nov 27). For too long, climate change has been perceived as a threat to polar bears and maybe people somewhere else in the distant future. If we were concerned at all, it wasn’t enough to spur many of us to action. The report cited is a peer reviewed analysis by over 300 government and private sector experts of all available climate and economic data. It clearly points out that the threat of inaction is real, close to home and will impact us and immediate generations.

At a time when it seems like there is little common ground in politics, this is an issue where many Democrats and Republicans agree that we need to reduce and eventually eliminate carbon emissions. Just days after the publication of the aforementioned report, a bipartisan bill was introduced in the U.S. House called the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. It would place a steadily rising fee on fossil fuels and return all of the proceeds to households equally. There is a border adjustment to bring the rest of the world along, and regulations related to greenhouse gasses are lifted as long as emissions targets are met. This is a market-based solution, which will drive down carbon pollution while returning money to our wallets and is good for the economy. It’s time to put aside our party affiliations and act together as Americans to assure a better future.

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