Threat to our security

Thank you for your ongoing coverage of the State of the Union address. Although Mr. Trump talked about threats in his speech, he left out climate change, one of the biggest longterm threats to our national security. His own military leaders have identified climate change as a clear and present danger. In 2017, Secretary of Defense James Mattis told the U.S. Senate, “Climate change is impacting stability in areas of the world where our troops are operating today.”

In its 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review, the military warned that climate change is a “threat multiplier,” aggravating poverty, political instability, and social tensions. The Defense Department has identified key Atlantic Coast facilities threatened by rising sea levels. The Norfolk naval base is already experiencing unprecedented flooding.

In a January bipartisan letter, 106 members of Congress urged Mr. Trump to include climate change in America’s National Security Strategy: “It is imperative that the United States addresses this growing geopolitical threat.”

Republicans and Democrats both understand that the failure to act on climate change endangers our nation. Conservatives and liberals are both supporting a Carbon Fee and Dividend approach. This policy puts a fee on fossil fuels and gives monthly rebates to Americans. It reduces CO2 emissions, creates jobs, and puts money into the pockets of hardworking Americans so people can adapt and prosper.

Ask Senators Cotton and Boozman and Congressman Hill to work for the passage of bipartisan climate legislation, which would make the state of our union truly safer and stronger. LORIEE EVANS

Little Rock