We must, and can, work together

Your recent story indicates that Americans are beginning to realize the severity of climate change and its effects, with two-thirds defining it as a crisis or serious problem. A clear majority also believe that action is necessary immediately or in the next few years, and even two-thirds of young Republicans believe they have a responsibility to address climate change.

But many of us may still be unclear about what form that action could take. One clear, bipartisan action is the passage of a carbon fee and dividend bill such as the Energy Innovation & Carbon Dividend Act.

This legislation, already introduced to Congress, would charge fossil fuel companies a fee for the fossil fuels that they extract and sell. This fee would give a market-based signal to consumers to seek out products that produce less carbon dioxide, driving decreases in emissions.

At the same time, this fee would spur companies to innovate low- and no-carbon means of production and energy sources. Studies show that this policy would reduce carbon emissions by 40% in 12 years and 90% by 2050, initiating and accelerating the process of moving us away from a carbon-based economy.

Demonstrating the diversity of its support, this bill is endorsed by people from opposite ends of the political spectrum, from Republican Secretary of State George Schultz to climate scientist Dr. James Hansen. If Americans' climate awakening means we want to address climate change, we must do so together, and the Energy Innovation & Carbon Dividend Act is a bipartisan solution that can bring us together.

Jim Schwartz

Oak Park