The Ghost of Climate Future

In Charles Dickens' story "A Christmas Carol," three ghosts visit Scrooge. They show him visions of a happier past, an ominous present and a tragic future. Scrooge is so shaken that he becomes a new man, bringing happiness to others. Who can resist the hope that shines through Dickens' beloved tale?

Like Scrooge, we are all being visited now by a ghost: The Ghost of Climate Future. It appears not in our dreams, but in daily news of wildfires in California, arctic ice sheets melting, permafrost thawing and "sunny day" high-tide floods in our coastal cities. Many of us would rather not see this ghost. Like Scrooge, we dismiss it as a hoax, a conspiracy, a piece of undigested gristle.

But climate change is real. It's happening. It's caused by humans, and if we don't change our ways as Scrooge changed his, immense suffering will befall all life on this planet.

Fortunately, there is hope. A bipartisan bill called the Energy Innovation and Dividend Act, H.R. 736, is currently in the U.S. House of Representatives. It can be implemented within two years and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40% within the first 10 years. This would more than meet the U.S. Paris Agreement target of a 25% reduction by 2025. We need to wake up and support it, as Scrooge awoke, embraced hope and showered kindness on the Cratchits.

Take a few minutes to read more about H. R. 763 at www.citizensclimatelobby.org. Then write your U.S. representative and ask him or her to support the bill. Give a Christmas gift that will benefit not only your family, but the whole planet. Like Scrooge, you'll feel so much happier by acting now to create a brighter future.

Scott Buckley

Naperville