Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Letter to the editor:

Reagan would have acted on climate

Thank you for publishing “Follow Reagan’s lead and take action on climate change,” Lee Thomas’ Dec. 11 op-ed article on Ronald Reagan signing the Montreal Protocol to protect the ozone and serving as a role model for the type of political action we need today on climate change.

Thomas is not just another in a long list of Republican leaders calling for congressional Republicans to get to work on climate change. He is another in a long list of corporate leaders urging Congress to find a market-based solution (like a carbon tax), and he warns that time is of the essence. Corporate America understands that to have a stable economy and stable business environment, one needs a stable climatic environment. Corporate America wants a market-based solution to climate change because it is more predictable and reliable than a regulatory approach.

If current politicians want to avoid taking climate change action, they certainly can create all types of silly objections pointing to China, the economy, untrue claims of a warming slowdown or some other nonsense. But the bottom line is every refusal to act on climate change immediately is irresponsible nonsense. Reagan would have acted on climate change long ago because true conservatives do not gamble with our children’s lives.

When will your readers start jumping up and down to make their congressmen act?

The writer is a member of Citizens Climate Lobby, an international organization of volunteers lobbying for legislation to stabilize the climate.

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