Action alert from Tyler Granger of the National Wildlife Federation. -promoted by Laura Belin

Despite flooding that devastated the state of Iowa this Spring, our junior U.S. Senator Joni Ernst continues to ignore the climate crisis and to support President Donald Trump’s toxic agenda, which is harming Iowa’s health and economy.

At a recent town hall in Denison, Ernst heard from a Manning constituent, Peter Leo, about the need to act on the climate crisis. Instead of finding common ground, Ernst made the concern a laughing matter and suggested that combating climate change would “crater our economy.”

This is unacceptable. If we fail to act, climate change will crater our economy. Iowa was recently hit by epic 500-year floods and bomb cyclones that ravaged our farms and placed towns and restaurants under water. Poking fun at electric vehicles and waiving off severe weather patterns is a costly way to govern. We need Senator Ernst to join the fight and act on climate change.

U.S. Department of Agriculture officials expect farmers to file more than $1 billion in insurance claims for acreage they were unable to plant due to floods across the Midwest.

Our communities can’t afford inaction on climate. Iowans are ready to work on solutions, especially with the right help. Ernst touts wind and solar energy while criticizing electric vehicle incentives, but wind and solar have benefited from federal incentives driven by the “father of wind energy,” Senator Chuck Grassley. The time to begin transitioning to a 100 percent clean energy economy is now, which is why leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are introducing legislation aimed at achieving net zero carbon pollution by 2050.

In support of this goal, Iowans are rallying at the Iowa State Fair on Sunday, August 11 at the wind turbine display. I will be there, along with colleagues from the National Wildlife Federation, Moms Clean Air Force, and the League of Conservation Voters.

If you’re ready to call on Ernst to acknowledge climate change and support this legislation, come join us! We’ll be meeting at noon at Gate 16 to provide Act on Climate shirts and hats, but if you miss us there you can find us at the Wind Turbine Display, where we’ll have speakers from 12:30 to 1:15, before we head over to the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox speeches.

By refusing to support bold policies to address the climate crisis, Ernst is harming Iowa’s robust clean energy economy that right now is providing nearly 20,000 jobs across Iowa, boosting income for farmers and curbing the carbon pollution that is driving climate change and worsening our air.

I hope you’ll join us at the state fair to call on Ernst to follow the House’s lead and take immediate steps to confront the impacts of climate change. With our health and economy on the line, Iowa communities have no time to waste.

Top photo provided by Tyler Granger and published with permission