It’s time to address climate change

According to the Associated Press, Republicans are changing their tune on climate change. 'I'm not a scientist,” they say, 'so I can't make a decision on the issue.” The fact is, we look to scientists for the same reason we look to doctors, dentists, or other experts with specialized skills, because they have deep knowledge, acquired over years of intensive study, in a field where the rest of us do not.

So, when 97 percent of scientists agree it's time to address climate change, I expect our representatives to listen to the experts, not corporate donors. If they're still somehow confused, they can look to their constituents for some guidance; more than 70 percent of Americans think it's time to act on climate.

Fortunately, after more than 6 million comments in support of the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan, it looks like Congress is finally getting the message. To appease their donors without alienating the majority of their constituents, many Republicans have backed off of flat-out climate denial in favor of a more ambiguous stance. It's not the most courageous tactic, but it is an admission; they know the majority want climate action and that it's a liability for our leaders to not want action too.

Emily Rice

Des Moines