All around us, we are seeing the ravages of climate change. Mother nature is giving us warnings of the dangers to come if we do not act. Coral reefs are dying; this last year had record flooding; oil spills are doing irreparable damage to ecosystems; sea levels are rising with increases in flooding of coastal cities; record temperatures with resultant severe heat waves and deaths are increasing; and animals and plants are moving their habitat northward to adapt to warmer climates.

Nature is speaking to us, and the handwriting is on the wall. The questions is, will we listen?

There is still time. Placing a price on carbon and returning all the money to the citizens of the U.S. is the quickest and easiest solution, both stimulating the economy and combating climate change. The Citizens Climate Lobby’s carbon fee and dividend plan will add 2.8 million new jobs, increase the GDP by $1.375 trillion and add extra real spendable income to the pocketbook of two-thirds of Americans as well as decreasing greenhouse gases by 52 percent over a 20-year period.

For the sake of our children, it is time to act. It is the moral, responsible thing to do.

Vernon Dixon
Hiawassee