KEARNEY, Neb. -- There may be a genuine need to live cleaner, greener lives to halt global warming, but right now, Americans are too worried about the economy to care about climate change.
We concur. It is challenging enough keeping children clothed and fed, staying ahead of the bills and tending to household finances to have much mental energy left for global warming.
That's not to say climate change isn't a problem. Globally, we're pumping more and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and the world is growing warmer. Plants, soils and oceans can absorb only so much pollution, so unless we radically alter lifestyles and develop clean alternative energy, the carbon dioxide accumulations will continue.
Most Americans realize that climate change is a problem we had better solve sooner than later, but until they're assured it can be done without breaking the bank, it feels better to delay action.
Knowing there's diminishing public support, the key in drafting climate change legislation should shift to rewarding Americans, rather than hammering them with higher food costs and job losses.
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Rewards, in the form of tax rebates or the promise of meaningful savings on utility bills, might prompt change today.
Rewarding lifestyle changes is a bridge to the future when, hopefully, scientists discover how to effectively scrub, trap and store carbon dioxide.
