To the editor:

In last week’s Guest Opinion “Earth Day at 50: Science informing public policy is best hope,” Mr. Moher states that facts we learn from scientists are crucial to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and that, similarly, facts should guide our action on climate change.

Scientists have warned us for years that human activity is responsible for the rise in global warming and that the consequences will be dire if we don’t act now to mitigate the effects. We are already experiencing frequent record high temperatures, and each year is recorded as the “hottest year on record.” In Florida, we experience increasingly damaging hurricanes and poor water quality from rising water temperatures.

But there is hope through commonsense solutions. We must transition our economy away from fossil-fuel dependence, and support cleaner energy solutions to “flatten the emissions curve” as Mr. Moher states. Have you noticed how unstable oil prices have been lately? Our economy does not need to depend upon the profits of oil companies to thrive.

The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, (H.R. 763), is a bi-partisan bill co-sponsored by Florida Senators Francis Rooney and Ted Deutsch, with 70 bi-partisan co-sponsors. The bill puts a fee on fossil fuels at the source, and distributes the collected fees to each household. A monthly dividend is paid through the same vehicle as the current stimulus payment. Over time, this act will significantly reduce carbon emissions, improve human health, create jobs, and save lives. A Senate Climate Solutions Caucus – an equal number of Republicans (including Senator Marco Rubio) and Democrats – has been formed to fashion legislation to introduce a similar bill to the Senate.

Let us commit to healing and protecting our Earth as we start to heal from this pandemic.

Go to Congress.gov to read the bill.

Laurel Chandler

Cape Coral