Saturday, July 30, 2022 | 2 a.m.
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Nero fiddling while Rome burned is a good metaphor for Congress failing to act on climate change. We are barraged daily with news of the “burning” of our planet, such as wildfires in California, including threats to iconic sequoias, or record-breaking heat.
The nonprofit research group Climate Central shows that summer temperatures in Reno have risen 10.9 degrees since 1970, making it the nation’s fastest-warming city; Las Vegas ranks second at 5.8 degrees. Those who have lived here a long time don’t need research to tell us the weather is getting hotter.
The longer we wait for federal legislation to mitigate the worst effects of a warming planet, the more costly the effects of dealing with it. Billions have already been spent to repair damages caused by extreme weather events, and we’re seeing it in the escalating costs of our insurance policies.
Solutions require bipartisan support, and market-based solution — placing a price on carbon where it’s produced — is popular. If the money collected is returned to Americans annually as a cash-back rebate to spend as they wish, that helps families adjust to potentially escalating energy costs as companies move away from dirty energy and seek innovative ways to increase sustainable energy production.
Congress can’t continue to ignore the climate crisis; it must pass legislation the president can sign as soon as possible. Contact your representatives and urge them to work with members of both parties to find those solutions. Congressional Neros must stop fiddling.
