Thank those who lead on climate

My thanks to Mark NeuCollins (“Clean energy is within reach,” Feb. 23) and the other Iowans who drove to/from Washington D.C. to protest the Keystone XL pipeline and draw attention to the serious problem of climate change.

The ice caps are melting, glaciers are retreating, sea levels are rising, and the mean concentration of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere has steadily increased during the past 20 years. The 10 warmest years on record until the year 2009 included all nine years from 2001 to 2009, and year 2010 was one of the three warmest years on record.

Too few people are willing to actively confront this serious global issue.

Where are our political leaders on this issue? Some, such as Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, who receives vast sums of money from the oil and gas companies, call climate change a hoax, which allows him to do nothing to help solve this problem.

Others, concerned about re-election and lacking courage, maintain a short-term mindset, and choose to ignore long-term issues such as global warming.

All the more reason why those of us who care about the kind of planet our descendants will inherit should thank NeuCollins, Ann Robinson, Ann Christianson, Steve Shivvers, and the others who invested their time and energy on behalf of all Iowans at the Feb. 17 rally in Washington, D.C.

Floyd Sandford

Cedar Rapids