The climate is changing. With November weather in January and April weather in February, it is no longer possible to ignore the crisis. Winters are getting steadily warmer; this year is the warmest on record, with last year in second. It is devastating to think about next year being just as bad, unfathomable to realize it will continue to get worse.

Yet, I am only a privileged teenager complaining about skiing disappearing. People can ignore me. But they cannot ignore the 12,000 lives taken in 2023 because of climate change. We cannot condone a dystopian future by lazily ignoring the problem.

We have a solution: support carbon fees and dividends. It cannot get us all the way there, but it is the most effective and equitable climate policy. In order to have a sustainable future, we need national, bipartisan policy. In order to survive, we need to take action. Check out Citizens’ Climate Lobby for ideas.

Thea Dugas
Portland