Recently, activists converged on our nation’s capital, urging President Obama to act on climate change. While there are things the president can do, there are also things we can do here in Washington state to fight climate change. The most obvious way is to tap into renewable energy sources like solar.
While the effects of climate change will be felt across the country, Washington will be hit hard as climate change threatens the stability of our natural resources. With rising temperatures, we’ll see water scarcity that would heavily impact apple and cherry crops. Drier rivers also threaten salmon runs and could lead to the collapse of that fishery. And Washington’s oyster growers would see a big drop in their profits since more carbon in our atmosphere means more carbon in our ocean, making it more acidic and dissolving oyster shells. We’re starting to see many of these effects today, but we can curb some of the most severe consequences by cutting our dependence on fossil fuels and expanding our renewable energy portfolio.
Solar is a way that every homeowner can make a difference, and House Bill 1106 in the state Legislature allows more homeowners and businesses to access solar energy. The Legislature should approve this bill to fight climate change.
Danny Cole
Vancouver
