“Fires, heat waves cause ‘climate anxiety’ in youth” (Associated Press, June 15) is an urgent topic that points out the anxieties and depression of the generations that will be most affected by climate change.
According to many climate scientists, including Katheryn Hayhoe in her recent book “Saving Us,” “Climate change is about health, and specifically the health of our children.” We are speaking of the physical and mental well-being of our youth.
Wildfires are just one aspect of the many dangers of climate change. Watching the sky turn red and fill with smoke, increased episodes of asthma, dwindling water in rivers and lakes, and global food shortages may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but they are here now. I don’t want my grandchild to face this kind of inheritance.
There is, however, some good news if we act now. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act advocates for charging a tax on carbon production and returning that tax (minus administrative costs) to private citizens to use as they see fit. This will incentivize industrial carbon producers to develop carbon-free, sustainable sources of energy to power their business. I hope that legislators will recognize the need for rapid and decisive action in this area. Let’s leave a healthy planet for our youth.
