Letter: Changing a light bulb, and making a phone call

keyboard

To the Editor:

In the past 10 years, millions of American households have spent money and time switching to compact fluorescent bulbs and light emitting diodes in their homes. This effort was initially intended to combat climate change.

While Congress is slowly, I would say glacially, working its way toward a federal policy on climate change, the most common comment we hear from elected representatives is that they don’t get a lot of phone calls indicating the voting public cares much about the climate change issue. For them, that makes it automatically a lower priority.

What a different world it would be if every one of the millions of American households that once invested in efficient light bulbs would also now ring their congresspersons and say …

“I care deeply about climate change. We need to put a price on carbon, like almost every other developed part of the world. Our farmers and foresters need to be paid by the ton from the proceeds of that carbon fee for sequestering carbon, both as an incentive to reduce atmospheric carbon and to enhance water quality and other ecosystem services. I especially support Congresswoman Lauren Underwood’s Farmers Fighting Climate Change legislation. Thank you.”

A three-minute phone call is a lot less effort than a 30-minute shopping trip, and a lot less expensive. I’m told it would do a lot more good, too.

Donovan C. Wilkin

Huntley