Letter to the Editor: Washington Should Have a Voice in Climate Solutions Caucus

Posted

Sometimes reading news about climate change is a lot like the old Ray Charles song that goes, “If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all.”

While the news about climate change has little to do with luck and a lot to do with bad choices, it is worth taking note when positive developments come along. 

The Associated Press reported this week that Pope Francis met on June 14 with the CEOs of ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, Chevron and several other major oil companies. The group issued a joint statement welcoming “economically meaningful” carbon pricing regimes, set by governments, “to avoid perpetrating a brutal act of injustice toward the poor and future generations” stemming from the ongoing “climate emergency.”

Leading global asset management firms including BlackRock and BNP Paribas also signed on to the statement, citing the need for transparency about the risks that climate change poses for investors worldwide.

We all know that actions speak louder than words, but just hearing those words coming from big bankers and oil company exec’s is a step in the right direction. 

Closer to home, I’m encouraged to see our own Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler working across the aisle to co-sponsor the recently passed Ocean Acidification Innovation Act which would stimulate research into ways to overcome this effect of climate change that threatens to devastate coastal communities that rely on shellfish industries. The Act awaits action by the Senate before going to the President’s desk for signature.

Similarly, Jaime has worked with democrats to co-sponsor the Better Energy Storage Technology (BEST) Act as a bi-partisan effort to strengthen renewable energy systems across the country. These kinds of bi-partisan actions in Congress are just what the country needs if we are to begin addressing climate change on a national scale. I am hopeful that the research that “BEST” would encourage can bring a host of renewable energy jobs to Southwest Washington communities.

Finally, I am hopeful that Jaime Herrera Beutler will choose to become a member of the Climate Solutions Caucus in the House of Representatives. Her participation in this bipartisan caucus would give Washington’s 3rd District a voice in the Congressional debate about responses to the climate crisis and would help our region to move forward as renewable energy replaces polluting fossil fuels.



Also, if you’re not familiar with the Ray Charles (with Jimmy Lewis) song, it is worth going to YouTube for a listen!

 

Don Watt, member of Citizens Climate Lobby, Lewis County Chapter

Chehalis