Climate change too important to let partisan politics get in the way

After reading “Where did El Niño go? Heat, dry spell stoke drought worry” (Feb. 13), I fear that rain predicted to ease the California drought might not arrive. With local temperatures in the high 80s and eastern states shivering with record cold temperatures, extreme weather events seem to be impacting people everywhere.

Two congressmen from south Florida, where rising sea levels are already causing problems, understand the necessity to break the partisan impasse in Congress and work together to stop the relentless warming of the planet. The New York Times recently reported that Republican Carlos Curbelo and Democrat Ted Deutch have collaborated to form the bipartisan “Climate Solutions Caucus,” a promising step toward Congress working together to “address the impacts, causes and challenges of our changing climate.”

Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a national nonpartisan group of volunteers, helped make the caucus happen and deserves our support. Check out the CCL.SLO Facebook page, and learn how this came about and how to become part of the solution. Climate change is far too important an issue to let partisan politics get in the way of protecting the earth, home to all of us and future generations.

This story was originally published February 29, 2016 at 8:06 PM with the headline "Climate change too important to let partisan politics get in the way."