Climate change not a partisan issue
Climate change is not a partisan issue. It is not just for the liberal snowflakes or the tree huggers. There is room for the pro-lifers, the rednecks and the gun lovers.
No matter what your political “label” is, there is no escaping the impending (and immediate) effects of climate change. Liberals do not have a larger stake in the air we breathe and water we drink than others. So, why do we act like it?
It is time to stop treating the environment like a political hot potato. We need to dismantle the myth of the environment being a “blue” issue. In fact, many of the leaders of clean energy are traditional Republican states. A green economy is not only safe, but profitable for everyone. Yet we continue to sell renewable energy as a “liberal” idea.
Contrary to our current political climate, we amount to more than our political identification. I’m not calling for Democrats and Republicans to join hands and sing “Kumbaya,” but I am saying that bickering is not going to get us anywhere on stopping climate change. We don’t need to agree on every front. However, we all need to acknowledge that protecting the environment is important.
Anna Garner, Mercer
This story was originally published June 19, 2017 at 9:50 PM with the headline "Climate change not a partisan issue."