We can do something about climate change

I would like to thank the Baltimore Sun editorial board for writing so thoughtfully about the climate crisis (“Here's what averting climate catastrophe would mean,” Oct. 9). It is essential to draw attention to the alarming new United Nations report about what it will take to address climate change. The importance of this piece has not gone unnoticed.

I’m also glad the board pointed out that our hands are not tied. Even though our federal government is refusing to take this threat seriously, we can make a difference at a state level — and Maryland has a great opportunity in the next legislative session with the Clean Energy Jobs Act. This policy would significantly reduce Maryland's contribution to global climate change. It would double wind and solar in Maryland and reduce 8.1 million metric tons of CO2 by 2035. This is the equivalent of taking 1.7 million cars off the road each year.

Considering the profound impact this will have on our future, switching to clean energy is our only option. The Clean Energy Jobs Act is the best opportunity we have right now to get there. As the board itself wrote in a previous editorial, it’s a “nobrainer.”