Collaboration key to climate solution

I appreciate the Feb. 20 Dispatch article “Conservatives embracing conservation” about Sarah Spence, a Republican working for the Ohio Environmental Council. Spence believes “the environment provides a lot of common ground not intersected by party lines.” I agree.

The article quoted former conservative Republican congressman Bob Inglis of South Carolina, who is a board member with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a group that seeks to work across political divides. CCL members lobby elected officials, seeking to pass a carbon fee and dividend that returns the money to American families.

My local chapter has seen members we have worked with join the Climate Solutions Caucus. Created in 2016, the caucus, where members join in pairs from each party, just reached 70 members.

Here in Columbus, U.S. Reps. Joyce Beatty and Steve Stivers have begun their civility tour. As Beatty said on her their first stop, “Too many Americans are no longer expressing their disagreements in a respectful way. “She went on to say that while she and Stivers might not agree politically, they can disagree without being disagreeable.

Celia Paris, assistant professor in political science at Loyola University, reports that strong majorities of Americans want civility and compromise in Congress. As a mother and grandmother, I hope we are ready to find areas of common ground to solve our many pressing issues, including our changing climate.

Sheila Fox Columbus