Voters, not just Congress, to blame for climate inaction

I read with anger and sorrow the news that Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has threatened to quash the crucial clean energy portion of the budget bill. Each year we squander our costs and lifestyle sacrifices to endure and reverse climate change that grows exponentially. In some year between now and about 2050 climate change mitigation could be out of reach for much of humanity.

But Manchin is not just “the” problem. There will always be a few members of Congress who sell out to protecting their own election success over protecting humanity, or who myopically obey selfish, irrational preferences of their constituents, or who just don’t “get it.”

Our problem is that a majority of the Senate feels safe to ignore, delay or reject action on climate change. The threat is so certain, so already here, so dire that no elected official who ignores, discounts or rejects the realities of climate change should feel secure in their office.

The harsh reality is that we have failed to “sell the problem” to more voters, and we have failed to elect more rational and altruistic members of Congress.

Lee Alley

Snohomish