I’m appalled that folks treat climate change as a political issue and use it to divide people. The new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report (Oct. 9, “Scientists: Clock Ticking to Stop Climate Change”) makes it official: We need all hands on deck to prioritize this issue at the top of our agendas and cut emissions quickly. As a climate reality leader through The Climate Project, I try to break through silence and misinformation about climate change and responses to it.

I’ve taken actions to decrease my own carbon footprint: a mindful diet, bike or walk to work, find fulfillment in living simply, avoid most single-use plastics, rooftop solar panels via a power purchase agreement, and more. I can do so because I’m relatively privileged, but to successfully cope with climate change we need to fix whole systems and the assumptions of resource extraction upon which they are based. A good first step would be bipartisan legislation for a revenue-neutral carbon fee, like that advocated by Citizens Climate Lobby, with net revenue returned to U.S. households. The new IPCC report recognizes that we only have until 2030 to stabilize deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. A significant carbon fee is needed, and soon. For fossil fuels, we also need to take the “leave it in the ground” movement seriously.

I alternate among hope, despair and being very busy as I fit work, family and hobbies around climate advocacy. I have a vision of the world I hope to live in in 2030, and that is what keeps me going.

Barbara Litt
Squirrel Hill

First Published: October 15, 2018, 4:00 a.m.