Act now on climate

Maybe you're like me and hearing the news gets frustrating, especially when it comes to climate change. I cringed when I learned about the deadly rains in Germany and China, and I felt a shudder when my local meteorologist said that the recent storms could have potentially created another disastrous derecho like we experienced last summer.

Because I am a person who has asthma, smoky air from the western wildfires is keeping me indoors. I want to do something to change all this, but while I dutifully sign and send the petitions that I receive frequently in my email from environmental groups, I often feel like I am not having enough impact. But now I know that there is another easy action we can all do that is actually one of the most effective: call and email our members of Congress.

This week, the Senate is meeting behind closed doors to decide what climate policies to include in the budget reconciliation process. Time is of the essence, as we can see in those incessant headlines, and carbon pricing is the policy that can most effectively and quickly tackle the problem.

It is endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable, and a group of former Federal Reserve chairs and Nobel Laureate economists call it the "most cost-effective lever to reduce emissions." We all need to call Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Tammy Duckworth now while decisions are being made, to ask them to enact the fastest and most powerful plan to get there: a price on carbon.

Karen Campbell

Bolingbrook