To the Journal editor:

Forest fires in the Amazon, Hurricane Dorian, are these enough to motivate us to act?

Imagine a string that raps around your house, down your hallways, through your rooms. That long line represents the amount of time that people have been on earth. Pinch the string between two fingers. That amount represents the amount of time we have been burning fossil fuels.

We have the ability to meet our energy needs without polluting the earth. We can choose to burn up the remaining fossil fuels, but we will pay dearly for it.

I propose that we turn off the TV, put down the phone, and spend some time ensuring that we transition to a clean, safe, carbon-nuetral way of meeting our energy needs.

Imagine that long line of string representing humanity either falling into a burn barrel, or continuing to unroll off into the sunset. It’s up to us as individuals to help steer our species toward long-term survival.

Call U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, right now at 273-2227 and urge him co-sponsor H.R. 763 to ensure we leave a livable planet for the next millennia. Learn more at EnergyInnovationAct.org and by attending a presentation on the bill by Kristen Carlson, Friday, Sept. 27 at noon in Northern Michigan University’s Jamrich 1313.

Join Citizens’ Climate Lobby at CCLUSA.org, and get involved. Be able to tell your kids and grandkids that you knew what was important for the future of humanity and you did your part.