Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

OPINION

Encourage candidates to address climate change

As the summer progresses, it seems that the upcoming caucus has caught the public’s attention. Campaign billboards are everywhere, canvassers are flooding events and rumor has it the TV commercials are going to start making appearances soon. While all these advertising techniques are making sure we don’t forget the candidates’ names, the public still has yet to really find out what these candidates care about, especially on topics such as climate change.

So far there have been positive responses to taking action on climate change with candidates such as Martin O’Malley, Hillary Clinton, Lindsey Graham and Bernie Sanders acknowledging that climate change is a real problem that needs to be dealt with. But where these candidates are excelling, other candidates are not. In fact there are numerous candidates who have not only not acknowledged the presence of climate change, they have actually labeled it as a myth, despite the fact that 97 percent of scientists have recognized climate change as a critical problem.

As Iowans, we have a unique opportunity to encourage candidates to address climate change. As a society, we should take advantage of this and tell presidential candidates to acknowledge this issue and form a plan to fight it. We have the power to make change in our society. Let’s make use of it.