Today is Earth Day. It is a great time to reassess where we are, as a nation and as a world, in taking proper care of our Earth. There is no Planet B!

We have indeed made great progress. The Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act have gone a great way into improving the quality of our air and water, though Flint, Mich., tells us that we still have a long way to go.

Where do we go from here? There are many other areas needing improvement, but the overriding biggest problem is that of dealing with the monumental dangers of climate change. Fortunately, public opinion now shows that almost two-thirds of Americans believe in the reality of climate change. This is a marked increase over the last two years.

Now, it is time for America to lead the world into the green revolution of clean energy. Just as the Clean Air Act and The Clean Water Act have resulted in savings of from $2 to $4 for every dollar invested in cleaning up our air and water, so many studies have shown that plans to actively combat climate change will result in similar savings.

The Citizens Climate Lobby’s Carbon Fee and Dividend plan is one such plan. It puts a steadily increasing price on the production of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels and returns the money in a monthly dividend check to all of us citizens. This would result in a net increase in real spendable income for two-thirds of Americans, and it would add 2.8 million new American jobs and increase the GDP by $1.375 trillion over the 20 years of the program while decreasing greenhouse gases by 52 percent. Good for our pocketbook, good for the environment! A win-win situation!

Now it is time to act. No more political paralysis. It is time to unite for the common good and to save our planet so that we can pass on a livable world to our grandchildren.

Vernon Dixon
Hiawassee