So far in the Presidential debates this year we have not heard a word about climate change even though this is an existential issue. Tax returns have been debated; lost emails have been debated. But these are trivial compared to the prospect of an unlivable climate in the year 2090.

You can call climate change a Chinese-engineered hoax and keep your head in the sand or you can listen to 98 percent of scientists and accept the data supporting their predictions. You may shrug and tell your grandchildren to adapt but those grandchildren will not thank you for your inaction now.

What can you do today? One thing you can do is support I-732 on your ballot this November. This initiative is a “revenue neutral carbon tax” and is modeled on a program in place in British Columbia for the last eight years. In a nutshell what it does is to put a price on carbon (CO2) emissions and to balance that with a reduction in the state sales tax, elimination of the state tax on manufacturing companies, and a credit to lower-income working families. For most people the net cost will be negligible but it does tilt the playing field in the right direction – taxing what we don’t want.

Don’t be fooled by some environmental organizations that have declined to support I-732. Their objection is not over the principal of a cost on carbon but how the funds should be spent – directing it to targeted groups deemed the most affected by climate change. But exactly who is the most affected can be argued forever, and most economists agree that market forces will determine how to best adjust to changed financial forces.

So take a step to a make Kirkland (and the rest of the world) a livable place for future generations. Visit www.yeson732.org for more information.

David Malcolm, Kirkland